Overview
- The VB‑G RAM G Act, passed in the winter session and now law, replaces MGNREGA and extends guaranteed rural wage work to 125 days per household.
- Congress launched its MGNREGA Bachao Sangram, unveiled a petition portal, and plans a Kaam Maango Abhiyan to help workers formally demand jobs at gram panchayats.
- Opposition leaders say shifting to a 60:40 Centre–State cost share weakens the guarantee and will strain state finances, citing added outlays such as about ₹2,000 crore for Kerala and ₹2,500 crore for Karnataka.
- BJP leaders defend the change as curbing corruption and improving outcomes through digital monitoring, durable asset creation, unemployment allowances, and options like pausing work during peak farm seasons.
- State politics are intensifying, with Telangana already passing a resolution for restoration of MGNREGA, Karnataka planning a special session, and Congress urging Kerala to adopt a similar stance.