Gram Sabhas across several states used Republic Day observances on January 26 to register strong opposition to the VB-GRAMG Act and to demand the restoration and strengthening of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA). MGNREGA workers and rural residents raised these demands through resolutions adopted in Gram Sabhas held in states including Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal, Karnataka, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu and Chhattisgarh.
A press release issued by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha said, participants in the Gram Sabhas discussed the role played by MGNREGA over the past two decades in sustaining rural livelihoods, preventing distress migration and creating durable community assets. Workers reiterated that replacing a rights-based law guaranteeing employment on demand with a discretionary scheme subject to budgetary limits was unacceptable. In several locations, resolutions rejecting the VB-GRAMG Act and calling for the reinstatement of MGNREGA were formally passed and submitted, while in others, despite administrative obstacles, Gram Sabha members asserted their opposition to the new legislation. Reports of particularly strong participation came from Jharkhand, Bihar, West Bengal and Karnataka.
In Rajasthan, resolutions were passed in at least 120 panchayats across 35 blocks in 22 districts. Karnataka saw similar mobilisation, with at least 100 panchayats across 10 districts adopting resolutions rejecting the new law. Panchayats in Tamil Nadu, Bihar and Jharkhand also passed resolutions, and in Bihar, MGNREGA workers submitted objections to gram panchayat heads. In West Bengal, where MGNREGA work has reportedly been stalled for more than four years, large gatherings were reported at Gram Sabhas, with participants demanding the reinstatement and strengthening of the programme. High participation by women workers was noted across states, highlighting the importance of MGNREGA in supplementing household incomes and ensuring wage parity for women in rural areas.
Through the resolutions, Gram Sabhas demanded the immediate withdrawal of the VB-GRAMG Act, the restoration of MGNREGA, and the strengthening of the employment guarantee programme through adequate budgetary allocation, minimum wages, timely wage payments, the removal of what they described as arbitrary technological interventions, and full control of Gram Sabhas over its implementation.
However, it was also reported that Gram Sabhas were not held in many areas despite a government mandate to convene them annually on January 26. In several places, gram panchayat offices were closed or lacked authorised officials to receive resolutions. In some panchayats, Panchayat Development Officers reportedly declined to hold meetings, citing a lack of training on the new law, while in others officials were reluctant to recognise the resolutions as formal decisions of the Gram Sabha.
As awareness of the provisions of the VB-GRAMG Act grows, workers’ organisations said opposition to the law is increasing, with concerns that it reduces the right to work to a discretionary benefit. Unions and workers’ groups have announced plans for a series of protests over the coming weeks, including demonstrations at panchayat offices, district headquarters, state capitals and in New Delhi. Protest marches are planned on January 30, the death anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, followed by large-scale protests and maha-panchayats on February 2, marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of MGNREGA. A nationwide strike has also been announced for February 12, with demands including the repeal of the VB-GRAMG Act, the repeal of four labour codes, and the restoration of a strengthened MGNREGA.
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