Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah emphasized the need to persist in the fight for reinstating the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and repealing the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB—G RAM G). He stressed the importance of grassroots to statewide action during a meeting on the ‘Save Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme’ agitation. Siddaramaiah criticized the scrapping of MGNREGA, highlighting the AICC Executive Committee’s concern over the issue.
The Chief Minister accused the BJP of showing aversion to Mahatma Gandhi’s name. He praised the legislative achievements during Manmohan Singh’s tenure, including MGNREGA, the Food Security Act, Employment Guarantee Act, Right to Information Act, Right to Education Act, and Forest Rights Act. Siddaramaiah noted that MGNREGA had provided employment to 12.16 crore laborers, with a significant number being women, over two decades.
Siddaramaiah lamented the changes brought by the VB-G Ram G Act, which restricted workers’ rights compared to MGNREGA. He highlighted that under MGNREGA, workers could seek employment throughout the year within their villages and lands, a provision no longer available under the new Act. The Chief Minister criticized the shift in decision-making power to the Central government, limiting workers to designated locations for work.
Stressing the financial burden on states due to the new Act, Siddaramaiah mentioned that Karnataka would incur approximately Rs 2,500 crore in expenses, leading to the initiation of the NREGA Save Movement. He called for transforming this initiative into a mass movement to safeguard the interests of the people.
