Only guarantee under VB-G RAM G is technology-driven exclusion, emasculation of gram panchayats: Congress

New Delhi, The Congress on Thursday attacked the Modi government over the VB-G RAM Act, saying the only guarantee under it is technology-driven exclusion, centralisation and the emasculation of gram panchayats.

Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh shared on X the screenshot of a media report which stated that uncertainty continues for Adivasi households holding Forest Rights Act (FRA) titles, who were entitled under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to an additional 50 days of work over and above the 100-day annual guarantee under the UPA-era law.

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In his post on X, Ramesh said, "It was in April 2012 that the right to work entitlement under MGNREGA was first increased to 150 days in the drought-affected states of Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Karnataka. Thereafter, in July 2013, this special provision was extended to the floods-ravaged state of Uttarakhand as well. Finally, in January 2014, all beneficiaries of the Forest Right Act (FRA) 2006 were also covered under this special provision."

The Modi government simply "bulldozed" the VB-G RAM G through Parliament, ending the Constitutional right to work and the statutory right to wage increases guaranteed under MGNREGA, he said.

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Now lakhs of FRA, 2006 beneficiaries -- who comprise those belonging to tribal and other traditional forest-dwelling communities -- have also been deprived of the 150 days of entitlement, Ramesh said.

This is in addition to the millions from such communities who have been excluded from the scheme through job card deletions and the mandatory use of Aadhar-based bridge payment systems (ABPS) and National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS), he said.

"The only guarantee under VB-G RAM G is technology-driven exclusion, centralisation, and the emasculation of gram panchayats," Ramesh alleged.

The Congress on Tuesday had slammed the BJP over reported attendance fraud within the VB-G RAM G scheme, saying that "attacking" the rights of the poor while invoking the name of Lord Shri Ram was its true modus operandi.

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or the VB G RAM G Act, came into force across the country from July 1, replacing the two-decade-old MGNREGA introduced by the Congress-led UPA.