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To Counter MGNREGA Overhaul Punjab Calls Special Assembly Session on Dec 30
Chandigarh: Amid an escalating political confrontation over the replacement of MGNREGA with the VB-G Ram G scheme, the Punjab government has landed in a dilemma over whether to comply with the Centre’s directive to hold mandatory gram sabhas on December 26 or resist it, as the state is preparing to convene a special Vidhan Sabha session on December 30 to pass a resolution opposing the new rural employment law.
The uncertainty stems from the Centre’s insistence that states organise gram sabhas in every gram panchayat to educate people about the new avatar of the rural employment scheme, even as Punjab has openly declared its intent to challenge the legislation politically and legislatively.
The Centre has written to the Chief Secretaries of all states, directing them to organise gram sabhas on December 26. A letter issued by the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj clearly states that the entire proceedings of the gram sabha must be uploaded in real time, with geo-tagged photographs and videos made mandatory. Active participation of villagers—especially women, labourers and Scheduled Caste families—has also been stipulated.
Punjab has already made its opposition to the scheme clear, leaving the state government grappling with whether such gram sabhas should be held at all. “When we have called a special Vidhan Sabha session, how can we simultaneously organise gram sabhas on a scheme we are opposing? We will be bringing a resolution against it on December 30,” said a senior government functionary.
He added that Punjab had already spent nearly Rs 2,000 crore under the existing MGNREGA framework, with works worth Rs 1,000 crore completed and employment provided. “Under the new scheme, states will have to bear 40 per cent of the cost while the Centre contributes 60 per cent. How will Punjab manage Rs 800 crore if total expenditure touches Rs 2,000 crore?” he asked.
Earlier, the employment guarantee was a legal right. Under the new framework, officials fear it may no longer remain rights-based, making it difficult for fiscally stressed states to sustain.
Punjab Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond said he has convened a meeting of officials to assess the situation. “We will take a final call tomorrow. Otherwise, a special session of the Vidhan Sabha is being convened on December 30 to oppose the scheme,” he said.
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, speaking in Sangrur on Monday, said the issue was not merely about renaming the scheme. “Changing the name does not improve the scheme. The provisions have been altered. The Centre has shifted the financial burden to states. We will bring a resolution in the Vidhan Sabha against this,” he said.
