NEW DELHI: Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of wage employment every year amid vociferous protests by the opposition, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that it was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA and financial burden being put on states.
Several members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after demanding its withdrawal and raising slogans against the government. The opposition parties later sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill.
The opposition has also demanded that the Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.
Responding to the five-hour discussion on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Chouhan accused the Congress of “killing” the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi several times and using his name to further political gains.
Chouhan said that during the UPA’s rule, MGNREGA was riddled with corruption and the expected amount of funds was not spent on procurement of material for designated jobs.
