New Delhi, June 28 (HS): The Congress on Sunday claimed that several states have raised serious objections to the proposed Viksit Bharat-Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) Guarantee Scheme (VB-GRAM), alleging that the new programme would impose an additional financial burden on states and weaken rural employment safeguards.

In a post on social media platform X, Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh claimed that BJP-ruled states, including Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Uttarakhand, had expressed concerns over the additional financial burden the proposed scheme would place on state governments.

He also claimed that at least five states had demanded an increase in wages for rural workers, while four other states had opposed the proposed blackout period during the peak agricultural season, saying it could adversely affect farmers and rural labourers.

Ramesh alleged that the Centre had secured Parliament's approval for replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the VB-GRAM scheme without adequate consultations with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development, state governments or other stakeholders.

According to the Congress leader, the new scheme, proposed to be implemented from July 1, could increase the financial burden on states and lead to greater centralisation in decision-making compared to MGNREGA.

He further alleged that the Centre had decided to discontinue MGNREGA for political reasons and maintained that any major changes relating to rural employment and livelihood security should follow wider consultations, parliamentary scrutiny and consensus with the states.

There was no immediate response from the Union Government to the allegations made by the Congress.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar