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Sources said that most members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj were concerned about how the transition from MGNREGA to the VB-G RAM G Act would take place over the next six months.
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New Delhi: A parliamentary committee on Monday examined various aspects of the rural employment guarantee scheme (MGNREGA) implemented during the UPA government.
This scheme has now been transformed by the Modi government into the Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Guarantee (Rural) Act.
The parliamentary committee also considered what should be done in the next six months to ensure a smooth transition to the new law.
According to PTI reports, sources said that most members of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj were concerned about how the transition from MGNREGA to the VB-G RAM G Act would take place over the next six months.
They also raised questions about how beneficiaries would be paid during this period and how additional budgetary support would be arranged.
According to sources, no member opposed the VB-G RAM G Act during the meeting. However, several members expressed concern that enrollment under the old law was only around 50 percent in many states.
Members also stated that the Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Guarantee (Rural) Act would take at least six months to implement, as it can only be implemented after the rules are framed.
Opposition Suggested Increasing Workdays to 150 Days
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was passed by the Congress-led UPA government in 2005.
The Viksit Bharat Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Guarantee (Rural) Bill was passed in Parliament during the recently concluded winter session amidst strong opposition from the opposition. The new act provides for 125 days of wage employment for rural workers.
The parliamentary committee meeting on Monday also discussed what the new system and framework would look like. According to sources, some opposition members acknowledged that MGNREGA had some shortcomings, for which the committee had previously made some recommendations.
Some opposition members said that they had earlier suggested increasing the number of workdays from 100 to 150. According to sources, they also demanded that all the recommendations previously made by the committee should be considered while framing the rules of the VB G Ram Ji Act.
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BJP MPs explain why the new law was needed
BJP MPs said that the new law was needed because the existing law was not able to address the current problems of villages and the development of infrastructure in rural areas.
Sources said that during the meeting, some MPs spoke about the reasons for bringing in the VB-G Ram Ji Act.
Sources said that they expressed the view that MGNREGA was brought in with the dual objectives of providing rural employment and developing rural infrastructure.
But those objectives could not be achieved, and that is why the VB-G Ram Ji Act was introduced by the government.
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Current scheme covers 26 crore beneficiaries
BJP members also said that there have been instances from several states where even 50 percent of the MGNREGA funds could not be utilized by the respective state governments.
Committee chairman and Congress leader Saptagiri Ulaka said that the members discussed various aspects of MGNREGA in detail.
He said that they deliberated on how to proceed in the next six months, as the new law will only come into effect once the rules are framed. He said that the members also intend to discuss MGNREGA during the budget session, and a briefing session was organized by the Ministry of Rural Development for all of them.
During the meeting, the Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development gave a presentation on MGNREGA. According to sources, the scheme currently covers more than 15 crore families and 26 crore beneficiaries.
