Overview
- Chief ministers Yogi Adityanath, Pramod Sawant and Pema Khandu led briefings to promote the new rural jobs law, stressing 125 guaranteed workdays, weekly wage payments, a legal unemployment allowance and a focus on durable assets.
- Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren condemned the overhaul as an attack on MGNREGA’s core, while economist Jean Drèze and Jharkhand NREGA Watch pledged to seek a state resolution opposing the Act, citing a possible ‘switch-off’ provision, digital exclusion risks and higher state costs.
- Early local reactions reported from Chhattisgarh were positive, with workers welcoming the increase from 100 to 125 days and faster payments that they say could reduce distress migration.
- The framework elevates gram sabha and panchayat planning and gives legal backing to biometric attendance, geo‑tagging, satellite imagery and direct benefit transfers, alongside mandated audits and time‑bound grievance redressal.
- Funding is set at a 60:40 Centre–state ratio for most states and 90:10 for the Northeast, with states now preparing implementation plans and launching outreach.