New Delhi: With the Congress party preparing to launch protests against the VB-G Ram Ji Yojana, which replaced the UPA government’s MGNREGA, the Rural Development Ministry has sent a detailed report on the new scheme to all Union ministers, citing it as a tool they can use to counter the opposition in election campaigns and other public meetings. According to the report, during a cabinet meeting, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan briefed ministers on the key features of the VB-G Ram Ji Yojana and how it compares to the previous Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Prime Minister Narendra Modi also directed ministers to be fully familiar with the new scheme’s provisions.
Union ministers will highlight the increase in guaranteed employment to 125 days under the new scheme, compared to the previous 100 days. They will also emphasize the creation of durable assets rather than a narrow focus on salary expenditure. They will explain how the scheme will create robust local livelihood opportunities, helping to reduce distress migration. To refute the opposition’s allegations, ministers have been informed that under normative funding, the center allocates funds to states based on predetermined criteria, leading to predictability, fiscal discipline, and better budgetary planning. In contrast, demand-driven models often lead to erratic allocations and fiscal imbalances.
Union Agriculture Minister Chauhan accused the Congress of spreading misinformation about rural employment, the powers of gram panchayats, and the protection of workers under the VB-G-RAM G Act, calling its allegations baseless and misleading. On the same day that the Congress announced a nationwide campaign against the repeal of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Chauhan said the main opposition party’s opposition was political and claimed that the government had not weakened demand-driven employment.
