Overview
- Parliament’s VB‑GRAMG law replacing MGNREGA is in force after presidential assent on December 21, shifting the programme to a new 60:40 Centre–State cost model with a 125‑day ceiling.
- Telangana’s Assembly passed a resolution urging restoration of MGNREGA, joining Punjab and warning the new design curtails demand‑based work, narrows eligible tasks, and imposes a 60‑day peak‑season halt that could hurt women and marginalised workers.
- The Congress announced a nationwide ‘MGNREGA Bachao Sangram’ from January 10 to February 25, with preparatory meetings from January 8 and a plan to challenge the law and mobilise protests across panchayat to state levels.
- Activists and economists cited heavy state‑level costs under the new formula, with Karnataka estimates rising from about ₹573 crore to roughly ₹2,729 crore for current employment levels and over ₹7,573 crore if 125 days are provided.
- The BJP defends the overhaul as expanding work to 125 days and tightening accountability, with Punjab’s unit launching a state awareness campaign from January 7 to promote the scheme.