Bhubaneswar, 06 January (H.S.): Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Tuesday said that the proposed ‘VBG Ramji’ Bill is aimed at realising the vision of a ‘Developed India’ by strengthening rural employment while ensuring transparency and accountability.

Addressing a press conference at the BJP state office, the Chief Minister outlined the key provisions and benefits of the proposed legislation and dismissed the opposition’s criticism. He alleged that during the UPA regime, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) suffered from serious shortcomings and a lack of accountability, leading to widespread corruption and denial of benefits to genuine beneficiaries.

Majhi said that misuse of funds and irregularities prevented the scheme from being effective in several states. Accusing the opposition of spreading misinformation, he stated that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a new framework has been introduced to address structural flaws and eliminate corruption through the use of modern technology.

According to the Chief Minister, the proposed law aims to increase guaranteed employment days from 100 to 125. The scheme will focus on four key sectors—water security, rural infrastructure development, creation of livelihood assets, and climate resilience. He added that work activities will be suspended during the crop season to prevent fake entries and corruption. A provision has also been made to pay unemployment allowance if employment is not provided within 15 days.

Referring to past irregularities, Majhi cited alleged scams involving thousands of crores of rupees in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh, as well as cases in Odisha in 2012 where the names of deceased persons were misused. He said the new mission-mode approach has been designed to ensure transparency, efficiency, and the delivery of benefits to genuine beneficiaries.

The press conference was attended by BJP state president Manmohan Samal, general secretary Sharda Satpathy, Panchayati Raj Minister Rabi Narayan Nayak, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Mukesh Mahaling, Deputy Chief Whip Govind Chandra Das, and MLAs Babu Singh and Ashrit Patnaik, among other senior leaders.

Hindusthan Samachar / Monalisa Panda