Centre’s Move to Undermine Employment Guarantee Scheme; CPI(M) Leads Torchlight Protest Today

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI(M) will organise protests across Kerala on Friday evening against the Union government’s move to restructure the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Torchlight processions will be held at local centres as part of the state-wide agitation.

The protest targets the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, introduced by the Centre. The legislation removes Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the rural employment scheme and revises its funding and administrative framework. Despite strong opposition, the bill was passed in both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha.

According to CPI(M) leaders, the proposed changes fundamentally alter the character of the employment guarantee programme. The revised framework places the scheme under tighter central control while increasing the financial responsibility of state governments. Under the new cost-sharing formula, states would bear 40 per cent of workers’ wages, with the Centre contributing the remaining 60 per cent.

The scheme’s annual expenditure is estimated at at least 1.5 lakh crore, requiring states to collectively contribute around 55,000 crore each year.

The party has also expressed concern over provisions allowing the scheme to be suspended for up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons. The existing law does not permit suspension under any circumstances. The new bill allows advance notifications to halt work during busy farming periods, including sowing and harvesting.

In addition, the bill proposes major changes to the implementation process. The role of gram sabhas and panchayats would be significantly reduced, with greater reliance placed on digital systems such as mobile-based monitoring, biometric authentication, geo-tagging and artificial intelligence-based audits.