"Unable to digest...": BJP MP Anurag Thakur slams Congress for opposing VB-G RAM G law

"The Congress party is unable to digest the fact that crores of poor and needy people in the country will now get the opportunity to work for 125 days instead of 100 days. The Modi government is also talking about increasing the wages," Anurah Thakur said.

Cornering Congress on their allegations of "insulting" the Mahatma Gandhi's name by replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with VB-G RAM G law, Anurag Thakur shared the incident of party changing the name of its own schemes.

"As far as the Congress talking about Mahatma Gandhi's name is concerned, my question to all Congressmen is this: such schemes related to employment guarantee have been running since the 1960s. In 1989, it was named 'Jawahar Rozgar Yojana', in 1999 it was named 'Jawahar Swarnim Yojana', and in 2001 it was named 'Sampoorna Rozgar Yojana', and then again in 2004, under the UPA government, the scheme was named 'NREGA', and finally in 2009, it was named 'MGNREGA'. I ask the Congress, did they only remember Mahatma Gandhi in 2009?" he said.

President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave assent to the Viksit Bharat--Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB--G RAM G) Bill, 2025, marking a significant milestone in the transformation of rural employment policy, as per a release by the President's Secretariat.

The Act enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households. It seeks to advance empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of development initiatives and saturation-based delivery, thereby strengthening the foundation for a prosperous, resilient and self-reliant Rural Bharat.

Earlier, Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, marking a decisive reform in India's rural employment and development framework. The Act replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, with a modern statutory framework that enhances livelihood security and is aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. (ANI)