VB-G RAM G Bill gets Parliament nod, opposition cries foul

The Parliament has passed the new VB-G RAM G Bill that will replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA on Thursday. The bill was passed as the Rajya Sabha continued till midnight amid protests and walkouts from the opposition.The debate in Rajya Sabha went on post-midnight and around 12.15 am, the voting was held and the bill was passed by voice vote. The new bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment every year, with Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan asserting that it was needed to fix shortcomings in the old scheme. Chouhan accused the Congress of "killing" the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi several times and using his name to further political gains. Chouhan added that during the UPA's rule, MGNREGA was riddled with corruption.

Several members of the opposition staged a walkout in the Rajya Sabha during the passage of the Bill after calling for its withdrawal and raising slogans against the ruling NDA government. The opposition parties also sat on a dharna outside the Samvidhan Sadan in the Parliament complex against the new bill. Under MGNREGA, the government guaranteed 100 days of work in rural areas and even paid unemployment allowance in case there was no work. The new law would raise the 100-day guarantee to 125, keeping the other two rules untouched.