The End of MGNREGA?
Serious questions are being raised across the country regarding the Viksit Bharat --Guarantee for Employment (VB-GRAM-G) Bill being brought by the Central Government to abolish MGNREGA and replace it.
On this issue, Newsclick spoke with Vikram Singh, Joint Secretary of the All-India Agricultural Workers Union, who explains in detail how this new Bill turns the constitutional right to work into a budget-controlled scheme.
Singh says the proposed Bill weakens the legal guarantee of minimum wages, limits the powers of states and gram sabhas, breaks the bargaining power of farm labourers and rural workers, and pushes the rural economy toward insecurity.
The discussion also reveals how the Bill paves the way for converting rural workers into cheap labour through restrictions on work during peak agricultural seasons, Central government-mandated funding, and technical controls.
Will VB-GRAM-G truly increase employment, or is it an attempt to eliminate the rights workers have secured through MGNREGA? Watch the full discussion.
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