The Left parties are planning a nationwide protest on December 22 against the VB–G RAM G Bill

New Delhi: Left parties have called on the public to mobilise and participate in a nationwide protest on December 22 against the VB–G RAM G Bill proposed by the central government, alleging that it undermines the employment guarantee scheme. The scheme, introduced as MGNREGA during the first UPA government under sustained pressure from the Left parties, is now threatened, they said, as the newly proposed Bill strikes at its very foundation.

The Mahatma Gandhi Employment Guarantee Scheme is a universal, demand-driven law that guarantees the right to work, even if in a limited form. The new Bill, however, undermines this core principle and effectively denies even this restricted right to employment. Its provisions legally absolve the Centre of the responsibility to provide funds in response to demand.

The promise to increase the number of workdays from the current 100 to 125 days was described as another deception. Under the pretext of “rationalising” job cards, a large number of rural families are being excluded from the scheme. Suspending the programme for two months during the peak agricultural season amounts to denying employment at a time when rural workers need it the most. This would also force them to depend on landowners for survival. Making digital attendance and related mechanisms mandatory will create serious hardships for workers, leading to denial of work and erosion of labour rights.

Changes in the funding structure shift the financial burden onto the states, while denying them any role in decision- making related to the scheme. States will also have to bear the cost of unemployment allowance under the scheme, as well as compensation payable for delays. All these changes, the Left parties said, absolve the Centre of its responsibilities and shrink the scope of the programme.

Renaming the scheme amounts to an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and reflects the Sangh Parivar’s hostility towards Gandhiji’s ideals. The government must immediately withdraw the G RAM G Bill, the statement said. The Left parties will organise a nationwide protest on December 22, demanding that the employment guarantee scheme be strengthened by ensuring adequate funding, guaranteeing 200 days of work, and making it truly universal.

The statement was issued jointly by CPI M General Secretary M A Baby, CPI General Secretary D Raja, CPI(ML) General Secretary Dipankar Bhattacharya, RSP General Secretary Manoj Bhattacharya, and Forward Bloc General Secretary G Devarajan.