CM Siddaramaiah writes to PM Modi, seeks suspension of VB-G RAM G Act

Bengaluru: Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to “suspend” the implementation of the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB — G RAM G) Act, which replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In a letter to the prime minister, Siddaramaiah argued that the legal guarantee of 125 days (100 days under MGNREGA) was not “absolute,” since it was determined by a centrally notified “normative” funding for “notified” areas in each state.  

Objective parameters

Explaining that these allocations would depend on “objective parameters,” the chief minister said: “These parameters are not embedded in the legislation, can be altered at any time, and if finalised without consultation with state governments, will not reflect the diverse and varying needs across States and even within rural regions of the same
State.” 

He argued that this would convert a demand-driven regime into a supply-driven, top-down system, contrary to the current participatory approach where labour budgets are prepared at the Gram Panchayat
level.

Funding pattern

Taking exception to the changed funding pattern, a 60:40 Centre-state sharing agreement instead of the current 90:10, he felt this change converted a statutory guarantee into a “run of the mill” scheme, burdening the states’
finances.

States’ share

Highlighting that the states would have to pay for anything above the normative allocation, Siddaramaiah said: “This could leave states facing 100% liability for demand beyond a centrally fixed limit. In practice, the guarantee may then depend not only on the normative allocation but also on the state’s fiscal
capacity.”

Women’s participation

He also highlighted that the stopping of the scheme for 60 days every year during the “peak sowing and harvesting” season could increase bonded/ distress labour, reduce women’s participation and so on.

Siddaramaiah felt the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name “sends an unfortunate message and weakens its moral authority.”

“I urge your personal intervention to suspend the implementation of the VB-G RamG Act and to initiate constitutionally mandated consultations with state governments to strengthen the right to livelihood and build a resilient Bharat,” the chief minister said in the letter to the prime minister.