The Congress on Tuesday alleged that nearly 12 crore people in rural India will lose their right to guaranteed employment under the newly introduced VB–G RAM G Act, which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Addressing a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Dutt said the BJP-led Union government has not only renamed MGNREGA as the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, but has also altered its core structure, effectively weakening the guarantee of employment.

Under MGNREGA, one member of a rural household was entitled to 100 days of employment on demand within five kilometres of their village, with work planning and implementation handled at the local level. Dutt alleged that this decentralised model has now been dismantled, with the Centre deciding the allocation of work instead of gram panchayats and zilla parishads.

“The Centre will now decide which state will get work and how much. Local self-governments have been completely sidelined,” he claimed.

The Congress leader further alleged that the Centre’s financial commitment to the scheme has been reduced. Earlier, the Union government funded 90 per cent of project costs under MGNREGA, while states contributed the remaining 10 per cent. Under the new Act, the Centre’s share has reportedly been cut to 60 per cent, shifting a larger burden onto state governments.

Dutt also criticised what he called inadequate budgetary allocations for rural employment and expressed concern over a provision barring work during 60 days of the farming season. He said this could weaken the bargaining power of agricultural labourers during a critical period. Though the new Act promises 125 days of employment, Dutt claimed that between 2019 and 2024, the average employment provided under MGNREGA was only about 42 days, raising doubts over the government’s commitment to rural job security.