Bhushan says Viksit Bharat-GRAM Bill ends MGNREGA's rights-based nature by turning it into discretionary grants.
Demand-driven work, unemployment allowance, and timely wages no longer enforceable under new framework.
Move seen as consolidation that weakens landmark 2005 Act amid opposition claims of centralization.
Centre 'Practically Ending' MGNREGA Through Viksit Bharat-GRAM Bill: Prashant Bhushan
Activist-lawyer alleges new legislation shifts rural jobs scheme to discretionary grants, removing legal entitlements and demand-driven guarantees
Summary
Senior advocate and activist Prashant Bhushan on December 21, 2025, accused the Central government of "practically ending" the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) by incorporating its provisions into the newly introduced Viksit Bharat-GRAM Bill. Speaking at a press conference in New Delhi, Bhushan claimed the move converts the flagship rural jobs programme from a rights-based, demand-driven scheme into a discretionary, budget-dependent grant mechanism.
The Viksit Bharat-GRAM (Gramin Rozgar Adhiniyam Mission) Bill, tabled in Parliament during the winter session, seeks to consolidate multiple rural development schemes under one umbrella framework. Critics, including Bhushan, argue that it dilutes MGNREGA's core legal guarantees—such as 100 days of wage employment on demand, unemployment allowance for denial of work, and time-bound payments—by subsuming them under a broader "mission mode" approach without statutory backing.
Bhushan highlighted that the bill removes the word "Act" from MGNREGA references and places it alongside non-justiciable programmes, effectively stripping workers of enforceable rights. He warned that this aligns with long-standing demands from certain quarters to scrap or weaken the scheme, which has provided over 300 crore person-days of employment annually and served as a critical social safety net during crises like the COVID-19 pandemic.
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