K'TAKA CM FLAGS 'DILUTION OF RIGHT TO WORK', URGES TO SUSPEND VB-G RAM G ACT

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the suspension of the newly enacted Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, warning that the law dismantles the rights-based, demand-driven framework of MGNREGA and undermines federalism, decentralisation and rural livelihood security.

- TDG NETWORK

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking the suspension of the newly enacted Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar

Raising serious constitutional, fiscal and social concerns, Siddaramaiah has urged PM Modi to halt the implementation of the Act, which repeals the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In a detailed letter, the Chief Minister argued that while the new law increases the promised employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days, it weakens the core principle of a demand-driven legal entitlement. He pointed out that the Centre has capped its liability through "normative allocations" for notified areas, with only 60 per cent central funding in most States, making the guarantee conditional rather than absolute.