Telangana Assembly Unanimously Opposes Centre's New Employment Guarantee Act, Citing Threat to Rural Poor
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The Telangana state legislative assembly has become the second to reject the Centre's new Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Grameen) Act, introduced to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy introduced the resolution, stating that the new Act dilutes the spirit and intent of MGNREGA, which was launched in 2005 to provide livelihood security to rural poor families. He emphasized that the Centre should continue MGNREGA in its current form to meet the aspirations and livelihood needs of wage-seeking rural families. Reddy highlighted the success of MGNREGA, which has provided a legal guarantee of at least 100 days of wage employment per year to every rural household at minimum wages. The scheme has benefited around 90% of beneficiaries in Telangana from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and Backward Classes, with women accounting for nearly 62% of the workforce. The assembly expressed concern over the proposed VB G RAM G–2025 legislation, stating that it undermines the rights of rural poor and weakens employment security for women and vulnerable sections. The resolution noted that the new framework is detrimental to women workers, as it reduces workdays and disproportionately affects women from poor households. The assembly also criticized the proposed shift to a 60:40 Centre-State funding ratio, calling it a violation of federalism and an additional financial burden on states. Furthermore, they described the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme as an attempt to dilute Gandhian values and legacy. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, CPI leader K Sambasaiva Rao, and others spoke in support of the resolution, which was adopted unanimously by the assembly. Telangana is the second state assembly after Punjab to pass a resolution against the new law, with Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan previously terming it "anti-federalism" and "violative of the Constitution".
