Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann announced a special assembly session in January to protest the VB-G RAM G Bill, which aims to replace MGNREGA amid opposition outcry.
Amid the opposition’s protests against the VB-G RAM G Bill that seeks to replace the MGNREGA, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Friday said the state government would convene a special assembly session on the issue in the second week of January.
In a post on X, Mann said, “The BJP-led central government is trying to hit the livelihoods of the poor by changing the MGNREGA scheme. To raise the voice of Punjabis against this high-handedness, a special session of the Punjab legislative assembly will be convened in the second week of January.”
Parliament on Thursday passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, which seeks to replace the 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and guarantee 125 days of rural wage employment every year, amid vociferous protests by the opposition.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) or VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by the Rajya Sabha with a voice vote on Thursday night, hours after the Lok Sabha cleared it amid strong protests by the opposition over the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the existing scheme, accusing the Centre of putting the financial burden on the states.
