Par panel discusses issues related to MGNREGA, ways to adopt G RAM G Act in 6 months

New Delhi, Dec 29 (PTI) A parliamentary panel on Monday examined various aspects of the UPA-era rural job guarantee law MGNREGA, which has now been replaced by the Narendra Modi government's VB-G RAM G Act, and how to move ahead in the next six months for a smooth transition to the new legislation.

Sources said most members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj talked about ways to be adopted in the next six months for smooth transition when the government shifts work policies from MGNREGA to the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G), how the payments would be made to beneficiaries during this period and how additional budgetary support would be arranged.

Committee Chairperson and Congress leader Saptagiri Ulaka said the members discussed various aspects of MGNREGA threadbare and how to go about in the next six months, as the new law will be implemented only when the rules are framed.

He said that the members intend to discuss MGNERGA in the Budget session too, and for all these, there was a briefing session from the Ministry of Rural Development.

"We had a good discussion. The new law has been passed but new rules have to be issued. All states will also have to come on board.

"Today's meeting was on how to go about a smooth transition to the VB-G RAM G Act. Some members have given some suggestions too. We will give a report, then everything will be clear before you," he told reporters after the meeting.

Ulaka said in a post on X that the meeting took stock of the current and evolving framework of MGNREGS, especially in the context of the new legislative arrangement (VB-G RAM G) and its implications for the scheme and rural livelihoods.

Ulaka later told PTI that discussions were held in detail about the MGNREGA and VB-G RAM G and mainly about the old law which will lapse and the new legislation will come into effect.

He said the members also discussed whether MGNREGA was still alive or not. It was said that the law would be in existence for six months, work could be demanded and there would be a budgetary provision.

"It's not true that members supported the VB-G RAM G. Many issues came up, but everything can't be made public. The meeting was about MGNREGA, what is the stance and what is going to be its future," he said.

Ulaka said the panel discussed how MGNREGA would work in future and during the transition period.

"The meeting of the committee would be called again; we will further discuss it," he said.

According to the sources, some members said it would take at least six months to implement the VB-G RAM G Act, as it will be implemented only after the rules are framed and they discussed what the new system and framework would look like.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was passed by the Congress-led UPA in 2005. The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed in Parliament during the recently concluded Winter session amid vociferous protests by the opposition. The new Act has a provision for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.

Several members expressed concern that the enrolment under the old law was only around 50 per cent in many states and no member opposed the VB-G RAM G Act during the meeting, the sources said.

Some opposition members admitted that there were certain shortcomings in the MGNREGA for which the committee had earlier made certain recommendations like extending the workdays from 100 to 150 days, they said.

Some members also demanded that whatever recommendations were made by the committee earlier should be considered while preparing the rules for the VB-G RAM G Act, according to the sources.

BJP MPs said the new legislation was needed since the existing law could not address the current problems of villages and basic infrastructure development in rural areas.

The sources said that during the meeting, some MPs spoke about the reasons for bringing the VB-G RAM G Act. They suggested that the MGNREGA was brought with the twin objectives of providing rural jobs and developing the rural infrastructure but those objectives were not achieved. That is why the VB-G RAM G Act was brought by the government, they sources said.

The BJP members also said there were examples from several states where even 50 per cent of the MGNREGA funds could not be utilised by the governments there.

During the meeting, the secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development gave a presentation on the MGNREGA.

According to the presentation, the sources said, except for Delhi and Chandigarh, MGNREGA is implemented in 741 districts, covering 2.69 lakh gram panchayats with 12.15 crore active workers.

Of these, women constitute 57 per cent, SC/ST workers 36 per cent and 4.81 lakh persons with disabilities have also been provided employment. At present, more than 15 crore families with 26 crore beneficiaries are covered under the scheme, the sources said. PTI ACB KSS KSS