In a significant political move, the Karnataka government, led by Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, has declared it will not initiate a state-level rural employment guarantee scheme to replace the recently repealed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). This decision comes a day after the state cabinet condemned the Union government's decision to replace MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G.
Financial Burden and Federal Concerns Halt State Plan
The state's reluctance stems from a stark financial warning. Senior bureaucrats cautioned that launching a parallel scheme would lead to a substantial loss of central funds. Under the old MGNREGA framework, the Centre contributed 90% of the wage share. The new VB-G RAM G Act reduces this central contribution to just 60%, shifting a significant financial burden onto state coffers.
Addressing a joint press conference in Bengaluru on Saturday, the two leaders launched a scathing attack on the central government. They announced a coordinated political and public campaign demanding the scrapping of the new law and the restoration of MGNREGA in its original form.
A "Symbolic Killing" of Gandhi's Legacy
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah framed the issue in stark historical terms. "Gandhi was assassinated by Nathuram Godse and is now being symbolically killed by the Centre," he stated. He accused the NDA government of dismantling a fundamental, rights-based law that empowered the rural poor. "The NDA govt has repealed MGNREGA, which allowed poor and vulnerable sections, especially women and small farmers, to demand work in their villages," Siddaramaiah said.
He alleged that the new legislation centralises decision-making by granting the Centre powers to decide where works will be undertaken, thereby stripping panchayats and gram sabhas of their statutory role. The CM outlined three major consequences of VB-G RAM G: erosion of livelihood rights for vulnerable groups, loss of power for local panchayats, and an unconsulted financial imposition on states.
Rushed Legislation and Nationwide Impact
Siddaramaiah criticised the speed at which the law was passed, noting it was introduced in Parliament on December 17 and passed the next day, without adequate debate or consultation with states. He highlighted the massive scale of MGNREGA, which has about 12.1 crore workers enrolled nationwide, including 6.2 crore women who constitute nearly 54% of the workforce.
In Karnataka alone, the scheme supports 71.1 lakh active workers, over half of whom are women. The CM called the revised 60:40 wage-sharing pattern "unconstitutional" and contrary to India's federal structure. He revealed he has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to withdraw the VB-G RAM G Act, restore MGNREGA, and reinstate the rights of panchayats.
Deputy CM D K Shivakumar strongly backed the Chief Minister's stance. "BJP leaders have lost the moral right to speak about Gandhiji. They have not even retained the eligibility to keep Mahatma Gandhi's photograph in their offices or hold protests in front of his statue," he asserted. Both leaders vowed that Karnataka would continue its opposition, pressing for MGNREGA's restoration, much like the successful agitation against the central farm laws.
