MAMATA BANERJEE REJECTS G RAM G, BACKS GANDHI-NAMED SCHEME

‘the der the revised framework, the Centre and States will split costs in a 60:40 ratio for most States, a significant departure from the earlier system under which the Centre bore nearly all unskilled wage costs.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. File photo

Northeastern and Himalayan States will receive a more favourable 90:10 split.TMC MP Sushmita Dev criticised the change, noting that while the Centre previously provided around 90 per cent of MGNREGA funds, it would now contribute only 60 per cent. “This undermines the scheme’s core purpose by forcing States to bear the financial burden,” she said.

Banerjee has repeatedly alleged that the Central Government has blocked MGNREGA funds to West Bengal in recent years. “We are running Karmashree with our own resources. We will ensure employment for our people even if Central funds are stopped. We are not beggars,” she declared, underscoring her Government’s commitment to self-reliance.

Opposition parties across the board have come together to criticise the new legislation.

They maintain that the new scheme fundamentally alters the rights-based character of MGNREGA. Under the previous Act, rural households were legally entitled to employment within 15 days of application or to an unemployment allowance if work was not provided. The scheme operated on a demand-driven model, with the Centre obligated to provide supplementary funding when actual demand exceeded projections.

The VB-G RAM G Bill replaces this open-ended labour budget mechanism with normative, State-wise allocations based on what the Centre describes as “objective parameters”.

Economist Abhirup Sarkar told The Sunday Guardian that the new scheme “effectively caps the employment guarantee despite the Government's promise of increased workdays from 100 to 125”.