Sachin Pilot's Warning: How MGNREGS Changes Threaten Rural India's Lifeline

Addressing a press conference at the Congress office in Bengaluru, Pilot said the Union government has committed a "historic blunder".

"For the first time in the country's history, the name of a scheme that carried the name of the Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi, has been changed. Earlier, schemes were renamed after Mahatma Gandhi, but now the Centre has done the opposite. This is a direct attack on the economic security of rural India," he said.

He said MGNREGS was a visionary scheme of the Congress government, which constitutionally guaranteed the right to employment for the poorest sections.

"It assured 100 days of employment per year to one member of a rural poor family," Pilot said.

Pilot said during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, MGNREGS served as the only economic safety net for rural areas.

"Without any discussion in Parliament, without consulting state governments and without placing it before the standing committee, the Centre has misused its authority to make changes to the scheme. No one had demanded or requested such changes. This has been done with the intention of insulting the Father of the Nation. It is an assault on the lives of the poor," he alleged.

He said the Centre has altered the nature of the scheme by converting it from a "demand-driven programme to a centrally controlled one".

"Earlier, local bodies decided how much work was needed. Now, the Centre will decide where and how much work should be carried out. Mahatma Gandhi believed in self-rule and the strength of gram panchayats, but the Centre is now taking control away from local governments," he said.

Pilot said earlier the Centre bore 90 per cent of the scheme's cost, with states contributing the remaining 10 per cent.

"Now this has been changed to a 60:40 ratio, placing an additional burden on state governments," he said.

He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in his first speech in Parliament, had allocated Rs 50,000 crore to the scheme but had also termed MGNREGS a "historic mistake" of the Congress government.

"Even after 11 years, the BJP-led government has not been able to discontinue the scheme," he said.

"This scheme had received global recognition. No other country had implemented a law guaranteeing employment. Now the Centre has effectively dismantled it, while falsely claiming that employment days are being increased from 100 to 125," he said.

Recalling his tenure as Rajasthan Rural Development Minister, Pilot said nearly 50 lakh person-days of employment were generated during the Covid period.

"This scheme supported 12 to 15 crore people. The Centre’s decision will further increase pressure on rural areas. It is condemnable, and the entire country, including the INDIA alliance, must oppose it. We will exert maximum pressure to ensure the Centre withdraws these changes," he said.

Referring to the National Herald case, he said false allegations were made against Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi, but the court refused to take cognisance of the case.

He alleged that the ED has been misused to silence opposition voices and to target Congress leaders.

Notably, President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025.

The Centre said VB-G RAM G enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households and seeks to advance empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of development initiatives and saturation-based delivery, thereby strengthening the foundation for a prosperous, resilient and self-reliant Rural Bharat.

It removes earlier dis-entitlement provisions and restores unemployment allowance as a meaningful statutory safeguard, the government said.

If employment is not provided within the stipulated period, the unemployment allowance becomes payable after 15 days, the Centre added.

- IANS