VB-G RAM G Bill Passed in Parliament Amid Oppn’s Protest, Set To Replace MGNREGA

New Delhi: Parliament on late Thursday night passed the Viksit Bharat - G RAM G Bill with voice vote amid opposition's protest. The new legislation named - Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill - will replace the MGNREGA Act, to ensure guaranteed employment days for rural workers in the country.The VB-G Ram G was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it, amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the existing rural employment guarantee scheme MGNREGA and financial burden being put on states.As the discussion was underway on G Ram G, some opposition members protested in Well of Rajya Sabha when the Chairman warned them not to go

towards treasury benches.Several members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after demanding its withdrawal and raising slogans against the government. The opposition parties later sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the Bill.The opposition has also demanded that the Bill be sent to a parliamentary panel for further scrutiny.Responding to the five-hour discussion on the Bill in the Rajya Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Chouhan accused the Congress of "killing" the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi several times and using his name to further political gains.Chouhan said that during the UPA's rule, MGNREGA was riddled with corruption and the expected amount of funds was not spent on procurement of material for designated jobs.

What Is VB-G Ram G?

VB-G Ram G is set to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA and guarantees 125 days of wage employment every year. During the debate on the bill, Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserted that it was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme.