Chandigarh, 19 December (H.S.): Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann announced on Friday that the state government will summon a special session of the Punjab Legislative Assembly in the second week of January to vehemently oppose the Centre's VB-G RAM G Bill, which supplants the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
In a pointed post on X, Mann lambasted the BJP-led Central government for attempting to undermine the livelihoods of the impoverished by dismantling MGNREGA, vowing the session would amplify Punjabis' resistance to this perceived high-handedness.
The decision emerged from deliberations among senior Aam Aadmi Party leaders, including national convener Arvind Kejriwal, during his ongoing three-day Punjab tour, following the prior special session prorogued on December 17.
Parliament enacted the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, or VB-G RAM G Bill, late Thursday via voice vote in both Houses, escalating from Lok Sabha clearance despite opposition fury over excising Mahatma Gandhi's name and imposing fiscal strains on states.
The legislation pledges 125 days of annual rural wage employment—exceeding MGNREGA's 100 days—while reorienting funds toward strategic infrastructure, water security, and Viksit Bharat 2047 goals under a 60:40 Centre-state funding split.
Critics, including Punjab, decry the shift from demand-driven to normative allocations and heightened state contributions—potentially 40%—as burdensome amid MGNREGA's prior misappropriation issues totaling ₹193.67 crore in 2024-25.
Mann positioned the assembly showdown to formally chronicle Punjab's dissent, safeguarding rural employment security.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
