New Delhi

Congress leader Vikar Rasool Wani on Sunday alleged that the "intention" of the BJP-led Union government was to gradually do away with MGNREGA and questioned the funding for the rural scheme over the last three years.

"MGNREGA was created to provide employment to people, and the majority of the jobs went to women. When the Modi government came to power in 2014, it knew that abolishing the scheme all at once would create a major crisis in the country. They have gradually reduced funding for the MGNREGA scheme. Over the last two or three years, how much funding has been allocated to MGNREGA? Almost nothing. Their intention to eliminate this program over 8-10 years has now been fulfilled. That was their intention...," Wani told ANI.

Meanwhile, AICC National Media Coordinator (West Bengal) Mahima Singh said on Saturday that MGNREGA cannot be dismantled easily. Speaking to ANI in Kolkata, she said, "MGNREGA is not just a scheme which can be bulldozed in the shortest winter session of the Parliament, it is the soul of the poor labourers of the nation."

She further added, "Now the funding ratio has been increased to a 60:40 split between the Centre and states... We will be launching an agitation against the VB-G RAM G scheme."

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also weighed in on the issue, stating that a campaign would be launched in response to what he termed as the Centre's attempt to weaken a landmark welfare law that guarantees employment to rural households.

Speaking to journalists at Karnataka Bhavan in New Delhi, the Chief Minister expressed concern about the Centre's decision and stressed the importance of preserving the original scheme named after Mahatma Gandhi.

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On December 21, President Droupadi Murmu gave assent to the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, which replaced MGNREGA. The Act enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households. It aims to promote empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of development initiatives, and saturation-based delivery, thereby strengthening the foundation for a prosperous, resilient, and self-reliant Rural Bharat.