Kerala has demanded that the Union government withdraw the new Bill introduced in Parliament to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS), as the proposed legislation is “nothing short of a declaration of war against the ordinary people of the country, jeopardising their livelihoods”.
Kerala would be one of the most adversely affected States if the proposed legislation is allowed to become a law because it puts an annual additional liability of ₹1,600 crore on the State, Minister for Local Self-Governments department M.B. Rajesh told reporters here on Tuesday (December 16, 2025).
The proposed legislation completely negates the core principles of the employment guarantee programme and represents a total abdication of the Centre’s responsibility of providing employment and shifts 40% of the expenditure burden onto the States, he said
The MGNREGS is a flagship programme launched by the UPA government to provide up to 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to rural households willing to undertake unskilled manual work. Implemented in Kerala since 2006, the scheme has been vital for poverty alleviation, providing livelihoods to thousands of families.
