Agricultural and Rural Workers Hold Nationwide Protests Against New VB-GRAM(G) Rules, Says AIAWU

New Delhi: Agricultural and rural workers under the banner of the All India Agricultural Workers’ Union (AIAWU) organised protest demonstrations across the country outside Panchayat offices and district headquarters opposing the new rules of VB-GRAM(G).

According to a press statement issued by AIAWU, the demonstrations were held in response to a nationwide protest call given jointly by the All India Agricultural and Rural Workers’ Unions and the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha against the implementation rules of VB-GRAM(G).

The union stated that in Keralam, large gatherings were held at various locations protesting the new rules. In Tripura, agricultural and rural workers under the AIAWU banner reportedly organised marches across different districts to register their opposition.

According to the statement, protests were also held across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, where large numbers of people gathered in rural areas. A demonstration was also organised outside the Deputy Chief Commissioner of Labour office in Hyderabad.

In Haryana and Madhya Pradesh, workers assembled in villages and outside Panchayat offices and burnt copies of the draft implementation rules of VB-GRAM(G), demanding reinstatement of MGNREGA, the union said.

The statement added that in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, protesters gathered outside Panchayat offices and other public locations and submitted memorandums opposing the implementation rules. In Maharashtra, agricultural and rural workers also staged protests in various places against VB-GRAM(G).

In Rajasthan, AIAWU described the protests in some districts as militant, stating that workers entered DC offices and raised issues concerning agricultural and rural workers.

AIAWU claimed that lakhs of agricultural and rural workers across the country participated in the demonstrations to oppose the new Act and its implementation rules.

According to the union, the new legislation repealed MGNREGA and removed what it described as the central guarantee element of an employment guarantee scheme. It alleged that the framework changed the programme from a demand-driven to a supply-driven model and legalised the use of technologies that excluded sections of workers from accessing employment opportunities.

The union further claimed that the implementation rules would reduce workers’ ability to exercise their right to work, increase bureaucratic control over the system, and exclude workers’ representation from decision-making committees.

AIAWU rejected both the new rules and the Act and reiterated its demand for reinstatement of MGNREGA with reforms aimed at strengthening workers’ access to employment guarantees.

The organisation said it would continue protests until what it described as a demand-driven employment guarantee system is restored.