VB-GRAMG Bill: Will it destroy the world’s most successful workfare program?
Rajendran Narayanan speaks to us about how the VB-GRAMG law departs from MGNREGA, and what it means for rural livelihoods and federalism.
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Show Notes
The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) Bill, 2025 has received the President’s assent. This Bill replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which stands repealed.
The move has sparked an outcry, from the Opposition and civil society. Critics say this new law will destroy the very substance of the erstwhile MGNREGA – which is to provide work on demand. That is how MGNREGA had served as a lifeline for India’s poor and marginalised people. But that is going to change. So, what are the ways in which the G-RAM-G Bill is different from MGNREGA? How will it impact the beneficiaries of MGNREGA? How does it impact federalism?
Guest: Rajendran Narayanan, Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences at Azim Premji University, Bengaluru.
Host: G. Sampath
Edited and produced by Sharmada Venkatasubramanian
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