Demand to restore MGNREGA marked on Mahatma Gandhi’s martyrdom day

By A Representative 

On the martyrdom day of Mahatma Gandhi, January 30, 2026, rural workers, MGNREGA labourers and Gram Sabha representatives across several states organised protests and collective actions opposing the VB-GRAM G Act and demanding the restoration and strengthening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

January 30 is observed nationally as a reminder of Gandhi’s ideals of Gram Swaraj, equality, dignity of labour and rights-based governance. Participants in the protests said these principles were being undermined by recent policy changes affecting rural employment.

In Kharsawan block of Jharkhand, MGNREGA workers submitted a memorandum to the Mukhiya, expressing concern over the implications of the VB-GRAM G Act for employment security and local self-governance. In Rajasthan, large numbers of workers and Gram Sabha members took part in demonstrations raising similar demands. In Bihar’s Arariya, Katihar and Saharsa districts, workers organised a long ‘MGNREGA Shav Yatra’ to highlight issues related to access to employment and delays in wage payments. In Karnataka, the organisation GRAKUS held demonstrations across multiple districts, echoing demands raised by workers in other parts of the country.

Protesters stated that any weakening of MGNREGA would have serious consequences for rural livelihoods, particularly in drought-prone and migration-prone regions. They called for the immediate repeal of the VB-GRAM G Act, full restoration of MGNREGA as a legal right, expansion of guaranteed work to 200 days per person per year, an increase in daily wages to at least ₹800 in line with minimum living wages, payment of wages within one week with a legal guarantee, and strict adherence to Gram Sabha approval before undertaking any work.

On the day of remembrance, workers urged the Government of India to heed the concerns of rural labourers and uphold what they described as the Gandhian vision of decentralisation, dignity of labour and social justice. According to organisers, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, the protests on January 30 reflect growing nationwide opposition to changes affecting MGNREGA and a renewed resolve among workers’ movements to defend labour rights.