Congress workers burn copies of VB-G RAM G Act outside Chandigarh Secretariat, call it “death of rural employment guarantee”.
Removal of legal right to work, no unemployment allowance, and shift to discretionary funding instead of demand-driven guarantee.
Punjab Congress asks Bhagwant Mann to launch state-specific rural jobs scheme to compensate for Centre’s dilution of MGNREGA.
The Punjab Congress staged statewide protests on December 21, 2025, against the newly enacted Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill (VB-G RAM G), burning copies of the legislation outside the Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh and in district headquarters. Led by state president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa, the party demanded that the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government immediately announce a Punjab-specific rural employment scheme to protect workers’ rights.
Protesters shouted slogans calling the VB-G RAM G Bill “the death certificate of MGNREGA,” claiming it removes legal guarantees, eliminates unemployment allowance, and turns demand-driven work into a discretionary programme. Bajwa told reporters, “The Centre has snatched away Mahatma Gandhi’s name and the rights of Punjab’s 32 lakh rural households. If AAP is really pro-poor, it must launch a state scheme giving 150 days of guaranteed work at ₹400 daily wage.”
The Congress promised to move the Supreme Court challenging the new law and announced village-level awareness campaigns starting December 25. Party leaders highlighted that Punjab provided over 11 crore person-days of MGNREGA work in 2024-25, benefiting landless labourers, Dalits, and women the most.
Responding briefly, AAP minister Aman Arora said the state government is studying the new law and will ensure no worker loses benefits. No formal announcement of an alternative scheme has been made yet.
