Women’s Collective Demands Withdrawal of VB-G RAM G Bill, Calls for Strengthening Rural Job Guarantee
Bengaluru, December 18 — The All India Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana (AIJMS) has launched a scathing critique of the central government’s move to replace the landmark Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the proposed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025. The organization warns that the new legislation jeopardizes the hard-won employment rights and livelihood security of millions of rural women.
In a strongly-worded press release issued today, the Karnataka State Committee of AIJMS condemned the bill as a “regressive” step that risks diluting the legally enforceable right to work. It argued that removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme and rebranding it is not merely a political act but an attempt to obscure the “serious structural implications” the changes will have on women.
A Legacy of Empowerment Under Threat
MGNREGA, born from prolonged struggles by left-wing and progressive forces and passed with cross-party support, stands as the world’s largest employment guarantee programme. The act legally binds the state to provide at least 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households through a demand-driven system, ensuring government accountability.
The scheme has been a transformative force for rural women. Data highlights a consistent rise in women’s participation, from 48% in 2013-14 to over 58% in the 2024-25 financial year, consistently exceeding the 50% mark for the past five years. Cumulatively, it has generated over 31 billion person-days of work since 2016, with 196.3 crore person-days created in 2024-25 alone.
“MNREGA played a pivotal role in increasing women’s wages and strengthening their bargaining power in the local labour market,” the AIJMS stated. “It provided work near their homes in safe and accessible worksites, a model beneficial to women.”
Core Concerns: From Right to Discretion
While the new bill promises an increase to 125 work days, the AIJMS asserts that the proposed architecture fundamentally undermines this guarantee. The shift from a demand-based labour budget to a system of “state-wise normative allocation” unilaterally decided by the central government is labelled the “most regressive change.”
“This move away from a demand-driven system risks prioritizing electoral or political calculations over genuine employment needs or fund utilization,” the release argues. A supply-based model could neglect women-friendly worksites and make employment access uncertain.
Further, a clause mandating states to bear 40% of the scheme’s cost is predicted to cripple the programme in poorer states, where women’s dependence on public employment is highest.
Agriculture Ban and Digital Hurdles
The bill’s proposal to prohibit work during peak agricultural seasons drew particular ire. The AIJMS called it a “clear example” of failing to understand the gendered reality of farm labour. “Banning NREGA work during sowing and harvest seasons will severely impact female agricultural labourers engaged in work with lower wages. This will roll back gains and subject women to further exploitation and wage suppression,” the organization stated.
The group also criticized the push for “excessive digitization,” warning that without proper infrastructure and responsive governance, compulsory biometric attendance and added digital monitoring would lead to exclusion. “Women face greater hurdles in navigating these systems, leading to work denial, wage delays, and increased dependence on intermediaries,” the release noted.
A Call to Action
The AIJMS lamented that the VB-G RAM G Bill was being introduced without any public discussion or acknowledgment of the broad-based people’s movement that achieved MGNREGA. “Replacing a rights-based scheme with an advertisement and branding-based programme risks undermining transparency, accountability, and enforceable rights—especially the rights of women,” it declared.
The organization has called for the immediate withdrawal of the VB-G RAM G Bill and demanded enhanced funding to strengthen MGNREGA. It announced plans to mobilize women across the country and stage protests against this “assault” on the rural employment guarantee.
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About All India Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana: The All India Janwadi Mahila Sanghatana is a nationwide women’s organization committed to advocating for gender justice, economic rights, and social equality.
ಉಲ್ಲೇಖಗಳು:
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“ಹಕ್ಕು-ಆಧಾರಿತ ಯೋಜನೆಯನ್ನು ಜಾಹಿರಾತು ಮತ್ತು ಬ್ರ್ಯಾಂಡಿಂಗ್-ಆಧಾರಿತ ಯೋಜನೆಯಾಗಿ ಬದಲಾಯಿಸುವುದು ಪಾರದರ್ಶಕತೆ, ಜವಾಬ್ದಾರಿ ಮತ್ತು ಜಾರಿಗೊಳಿಸಬಹುದಾದ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳನ್ನು—ವಿಶೇಷವಾಗಿ ಮಹಿಳೆಯರ ಹಕ್ಕುಗಳನ್ನು—ಕುಂಠಿತಗೊಳಿಸುವ ಅಪಾಯವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ.”
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“ಬೇಡಿಕೆ-ಆಧಾರಿತ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯಿಂದ ದೂರ ಸರಿಯುವುದು, ನೈಜ ಉದ್ಯೋಗ ಅಗತ್ಯಕ್ಕಿಂತ ಚುನಾವಣಾ ಲೆಕ್ಕಾಚಾರಗಳಿಗೆ ಆದ್ಯತೆ ನೀಡುವ ಅಪಾಯವನ್ನು ಹೊಂದಿದೆ.”
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“ಪೂರೈಕೆ-ಆಧಾರಿತ ಮಾದರಿಯು ಮಹಿಳೆಯರಿಗೆ ಅನುಕೂಲಕರವಾದ, ಮನೆ ಸಮೀಪದ ಕೆಲಸದ ಸ್ಥಳಗಳನ್ನು ಕಡೆಗಣಿಸಬಹುದು ಹಾಗೂ ಉದ್ಯೋಗದ ಪ್ರವೇಶವನ್ನು ಅನಿಶ್ಚಿತಗೊಳಿಸಬಹುದು.”
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“ಬಿತ್ತನೆ ಮತ್ತು ಕೊಯ್ಲು ಹೊತ್ತಿನಲ್ಲಿ NREGA ಕೆಲಸವನ್ನು ನಿಷೇಧಿಸುವುದು, ಗಳಿಸಿದ ಸಾಧನೆಗಳನ್ನು ಹಿಮ್ಮೆಟ್ಟಿಸಿ, ಮಹಿಳೆಯರನ್ನು ಹೆಚ್ಚಿನ ಶೋಷಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ವೇತನ ದಮನಕ್ಕೆ ಈಡು ಮಾಡುತ್ತದೆ.”
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“ಕೇಂದ್ರ ಸರ್ಕಾರವೇ ಏಕಪಕ್ಷೀಯವಾಗಿ ನಿರ್ಧರಿಸುವ ರಾಜ್ಯವಾರು ಹಂಚಿಕೆಗೆ ಸರಿದು ಹೋಗುವುದು ಅತ್ಯಂತ ಪ್ರತಿಗಾಮಿ ಬದಲಾವಣೆಯಾಗಿದೆ.”
