Rollback of right to work? VB–GRAM G Bill 'dilutes' statutory employment guarantee

By A Representative 

The Right to Food Campaign has strongly condemned the passage of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–GRAM G) Bill, 2025, describing it as a major rollback of workers’ rights and a fundamental dilution of the statutory Right to Work guaranteed under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). In a statement, the Campaign termed the repeal of MGNREGA a “dark day for workers’ rights” and accused the government of converting a legally enforceable, demand-based employment guarantee into a centralised, discretionary welfare scheme.

According to the statement, the new law dismantles the core architecture of MGNREGA by replacing a rights-based framework with a budget-capped programme fully controlled by the Union government. Employment, which was earlier guaranteed by law, will now depend on annual budgetary allocations, political priorities and fiscal constraints. The Campaign warned that this shift would disproportionately affect women, landless households, Dalits, Adivasis and migrant workers who rely on rural employment for survival and dignity.

The Campaign rejected the government’s claim that VB–GRAM G represents an improvement because it promises up to 125 days of employment instead of 100. It argued that under MGNREGA, workers rarely received the full entitlement due to delayed payments, low wages and digital exclusions, with average employment remaining far below the legal guarantee. The new Bill, it said, would further reduce actual work availability by imposing state-wise “normative allocations” determined by the Centre, with any expenditure beyond these limits to be borne entirely by state governments.

Concerns were also raised over the revised cost-sharing formula, which shifts wage funding to a 60:40 Centre–state ratio. Under MGNREGA, the Centre bore the entire wage cost and most of the material costs. The Campaign said this change would increase the financial burden on already resource-constrained states, particularly poorer ones, limiting their capacity to provide employment. It further cautioned that a proposed 60-day blackout period during peak agricultural seasons could weaken the bargaining power of rural workers, especially women and other marginalised groups.

The statement criticised the Bill for eroding decentralisation by transferring decision-making powers from Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats to the central government. Aligning rural employment works with centrally driven initiatives such as PM Gati Shakti and the National Rural Infrastructure Stack was said to undermine local planning and community participation. The Campaign also flagged concerns over increased reliance on biometric authentication and digital surveillance, citing evidence of exclusion caused by Aadhaar-linked payments and digital attendance systems, and argued that corruption is better addressed through transparent, community-led social audits rather than top-down technological controls.

Highlighting that MGNREGA had already been weakened over the past decade through administrative interventions, the Campaign said the need of the hour was to strengthen the law by raising wage rates, withdrawing mandatory digital requirements, reinforcing social audits and empowering local communities. Instead, it said, the VB–GRAM G Bill centralises authority and undermines hard-won workers’ rights, pushing the country further away from the goal of a genuine Right to Work.

The Right to Food Campaign also objected to the manner in which the legislation was introduced and passed, alleging that it was brought before Parliament without public disclosure or consultation, in violation of established pre-legislative norms. It said the Bill was rushed through Parliament without adequate debate or scrutiny and should have been referred to a parliamentary committee given its far-reaching consequences.

Calling upon the President of India to withhold assent to the legislation, the Campaign urged that MGNREGA be retained and strengthened as a universal, fully funded, rights-based employment guarantee. It expressed solidarity with the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, trade unions, agricultural workers’ unions, women’s organisations and people’s movements, warning that any attempt to dismantle MGNREGA without workers’ consent would face sustained nationwide resistance.