When the government framed the new Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), it seems to have borrowed the strategy that Greek philosopher Plato described in Republic of the captivating shadow play by puppet masters that conceals the real nature of reality.
Going by the sly acronym VB-G RAM G, the act hides the puppet strings that have effectively ripped a vital economic lifeline for the poorest Indians. It was hastily bulldozed through both houses of Parliament at the end of December.
For the last two decades, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which provided 100 days of guaranteed work a year to any household that requested it, has kept rural India afloat.
In 2025, the law provided employment to 79 million workers – nearly one of every three rural homes. It was the largest anti-poverty public works programme in the world.
VB-G RAMG has not only repealed MGNREGA in toto, but also squashed the legal guarantee to demand work.
MGNREGA was previously a centrally-sponsored scheme, with nearly 90% of the expenditure funded by the Centre, while the states were responsible for implementation.
Now, the central government, as the federal puppet master, while claiming that VB-GRAM G has increased the guarantee to 125 days of work per household, has in…
Source: MGNREGA gone, Centre is puppet master of new scheme with no guarantees
