Overview
- The Telangana Assembly unanimously urged the Centre to withdraw the VB-GRAMG law and continue MGNREGA, flagging a new 60:40 Centre–state funding split, a mandated 60‑day farm‑season break, and the removal of Gandhi’s name as harmful to women and marginalised workers.
- Karnataka’s cabinet condemned the repeal and is weighing a state-run rural jobs guarantee, citing centralisation of project control and higher state costs, with economists estimating thousands of crores in added liabilities to maintain previous coverage.
- The Congress announced a nationwide ‘MNREGA Bachao’ agitation from January 8, outlining a 45‑day campaign across states with possible legal action against the new framework.
- Rural development ministry data show December MGNREGS work demand at 18.44 million people, down 28.4% year on year, even as the new law has been notified and detailed rules have yet to be issued.
- Supporters of the redesign highlight a 125‑day employment cap and project‑linked works to improve delivery, while opponents point to lost demand‑driven guarantees and state leaders in Punjab and elsewhere trade blame over past shortfalls.