Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Dakshina Kannada in charge Dinesh Gundu Rao on Friday said the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, enacted by the NDA government at the Centre, will severely affect gram panchayats.
Speaking to reporters at the District Congress office here, Mr. Rao said the VB-G RAM G Act, which has replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, would considerably curtail funding to gram panchayats that heavily depended on MGNREGA to undertake several works. The Congress would challenge the new Act before the courts concerned while taking the issue to the people’s court too highlighting the adverse effects of the new Act.
The Minister said the Congress and the UPA had brought in several legislation strengthening the common man, including the Right to Information Act, the Right to Education Act, the MGNREGA, the Lokpal Act, the National Food Security Act, Forest Rights Act., etc. On the other hand, the Narendra Modi-led National Democratic Alliance government not only failed to bring in any legislation worth mentioning to strengthen the life of the common man, but also has been diluting many pro-people legislations, he said.
