G Ram G Bill: “No Work For 60 Days In Peak Agri Season,” said G Ram G Bill. Sparks Government vs. Oppn: The Argument Over the Clause Clarified
G Ram G Bill: The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill 2025 was approved by the Lok Sabha on Thursday, despite protests by opposition members who tore copies of the bill and claimed that the government was destroying Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy by removing his name from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which is still in effect.
What Does “No Work For 60 Days” Mean?
The G Ram G Bill mandates that state governments choose a 60-day window each year, coinciding with the busiest times of year for planting and harvesting, during which no labor may be done under the rural employment guarantee program.
Why the Government Suggested G Ram G Bill
The government claims that the G Ram G Bill offers a contemporary framework for rural employment that is in line with Viksit Bharat 2047. Each rural family is guaranteed 125 days of pay work.
The ‘no work for 60 days’ clause has been defended by the administration, which claims that it would guarantee a sufficient supply of workers. In one of its yearly studies, the Reserve Bank of India said that the MGNREGA was contributing to a labor shortage in the agricultural sector.
According to the Bill’s Statement of Objects and Reasons, “it is also crucial to facilitate the availability of farm labor, especially during the peak agricultural season, in view of the enhanced wage-employment guarantee for the rural workforce.”
According to government officials quoted in a Deccan Herald article, stopping public works projects at busy times is another way to address the issue of artificial wage inflation. They said that the measures would boost output, lower farmer losses, and increase market accessibility.
Reluctance Regarding G Ram G Bill
At a recent discussion held at the Press Club of India, activists, economists, politicians, and leaders of trade unions referred to the G Ram G Bill as an attack on the poor’s right to work. Speakers harshly criticized the administration over the “no work for 60 days” clause in the G Ram G Bill. According to them, the language undermines the concept of a legitimate employment guarantee.
Development economist Jayati Ghosh said, “A job guarantee means work on demand,” according to The Wire. “The Act itself permits non-provision of employment, even in cases when individuals urgently require cash, by granting the state the legal authority to halt labor for a maximum of sixty days. As a result, a right becomes a conditional benefit program,” she said.
Yogendra Yadav, president of Swaraj India, said that the new legislation weakens the MGNREGA’s obligations. An important Act was introduced in India twenty years ago. The people were granted the constitutionally guaranteed right to labor for the first time. According to an Indian Express article, Yadav said, “We’re getting a new law today which is diluting and finishing the provisions of the MGNREGA.” Annie Raja, the head of the CPI, also criticized the Center for giving capitalists incentives under the new law.