Overview
- The VB-G RAM G Act, which replaced MGNREGA after Parliament cleared it on December 18 and the President assented on December 21, guarantees 125 days of work with a 60:40 Centre–state cost share and allows states to pre-identify up to 60 days.
- Congress has launched a coordinated 45-day ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ with district press conferences, one-day fasts, panchayat-level outreach through January 29, ward sit-ins on January 30, Vidhan Sabha gheraos from February 7–15 and major rallies between February 16–25.
- In Varanasi, Congress leaders alleged police used force against an NSUI-led march; security was tightened near the Prime Minister’s local office, and the Uttar Pradesh government had not issued a formal response at the time of reporting.
- BJP figures, including Chirag Paswan, Karnataka MP B. Y. Raghavendra and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, defended the law as expanding workdays, improving monitoring and fostering shared fiscal responsibility.
- Mallikarjun Kharge and other Congress leaders demanded a rollback, arguing the law dilutes legal entitlements and sidelines panchayats, as protests and fasts were reported across states such as Jharkhand, Assam, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Chandigarh and Meghalaya.