"Living memorial to Congress failures" :::: MNREGA ... was designed on a Leftist pattern ... It glorified poverty --- "Gadda khodna" ..... ::: It was an art of "creation of non-durable assets"

G Ram G Bill passed in Lok Sabha 

** There was an agenda to glorify the Trap that glorified Poverty and encouraged rural people to be 'stagnant in mind !!

MNREGA was - a typical Left-liberal scheme !! 

It was antithesis to the concept of Developed India. 

The erstwhile UPA regime of 10 years between 2004 and 2014 led by the Sonia Gandhi-Manmohan Singh duo had several problems.

One - it was remote controlled by Sonia and guided by the National Advisory Council headed by her. This panel was an idyll gathering of armed-chair communists. 

They liked several things inherently. One was the pro-Left tilt and anything to do with 'glorifying poverty'. Hence, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) came. In fact, Mahatma Gandhi's name was added only on the eve of 2009 elections.

Between 2006 and 2024 -- NREGA has cost the Government an estimated Rs 12.2 lakh crore over the past 18 years.

The scheme is riddled with corruption, fake job entries, and bureaucratic inefficiency.

Initially, it was based on cash distribution and here 'jhola-wallahs' NGO workers made their entry. 

Instead of empowering rural workers, it has become a tool for political handouts and vote-bank politics.

 

It was a scheme essentially about 'gadda khodna' and the ecosystem hyped it. The so-called global appreciation was less on merits and more guided by the latent agenda of the west.

The concept of a 'developed India' was never considered then. Narendra Modi changed that all is a different chapter.  

The UPA scheme even harmed agri sector and 'just digging' ensured some cash flow.  

The new Bill piloted by the Modi Govt will for the first time, address complaints from farmers about labour shortages during crucial agricultural periods.

The G RAM G Bill introduces a provision to pause rural employment for up to 60 days during peak sowing and harvesting seasons. This will ensure adequate availability of farm labour.

***  NREGA gave -- Unproductive labour ?

Roads that wash away after the first monsoon because of poor construction. Ponds that are dug and refilled every year—a cycle of meaningless work. But good for Babus, netas, NGO workers.

Workers being paid to dig and refill the same holes just to meet job quotas.

The term "glorified poverty" was a criticism leveled at the UPA-scheme MGNREGA) because critics argued that while it provided a safety net, it did not create permanent assets or skilled jobs.

The MNREGA focused on so-called old growth rate. Poor could get some cash for 'digging' - what poorer societies did for decades if not centuries.

Narendra Modi was right when he said in 2015 that -- "My political instincts tell me that MNREGA should not be discontinued. Because it is a living memorial to your failures. After so many years in power, all you (Congress) were able to deliver is for a poor man to dig ditches a few days a month". 

Criticisms of MGNREGA under the UPA also included issues such as 

- corruption and embezzlement, 

- reports of siphoned funds and manipulated records. 

There were bureaucratic inefficiencies.

Looking back the scheme suited 'old India style of governance'.

Babudom thrived at every level.

In one of the north eastern states - I was told 'MGNREGA' workers -- were paid because of their 'dance' performance at a wedding of local VIPs.  

Big arguments were thrown out -- 

MGNREGA successfully reduced rural poverty, 

- provided income security, prevented migration, 

and also strengthened local governance. (Most of these claims are just claims.. unsubstantiated on ground but held correct in so-called motivated studies and official reports).   

As explained by Union Rural Dvelopment Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan; a significant structural change under the VB-G RAM G Bill is the introduction of shared funding between the Centre and the states. 

Under MGNREGA, the wage component was fully funded by the Centre. 

This relieved states of financial burden and ensured uniformity. But it was not based on practical issues in many states.

The new G RAM G Bill departs from the MGNREGA model.

Now states will have to contribute a larger share of funds. 

It proposes a 60:40 Centre-State funding split, shifting from Centre-heavy 90:10 (for northeastern, Himalayan states and UTs) and the 75:25 model. 

The Modi government says this will promote cooperative federalism and better alignment with local development priorities. States, it says, will have greater ownership of the scheme's outcomes.

MGNREGA was globally recognised for its demand-driven, rights-based design, allowing rural households to seek work when needed and claim compensation if employment was not provided. The VB-G RAM G Bill marks a shift away from this principle.

Under the new system, employment will be generated through pre-approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, which are consolidated upwards at block, district, and state levels and integrated into a national infrastructure framework. 

The government said this will improve efficiency, asset creation, and alignment with national infrastructure goals.

Was UPA's MNREGA ... a "leaky Bucket" ? ... that suited many ???

MG-NREGA was a Trap that kept People Poor ::::: NREGA just kept people dependent on government handouts.

It encouraged rural people and women to opt for low-paying jobs.

Studies revealed many workers preferred doing NREGA work over migrating to cities for higher-paying jobs. Laziness was glorified yet again.

Instead of learning new skills or finding better work, millions are stuck doing manual labor with no future growth.

ends