Thiruvananthapuram: The state assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a resolution urging the Union government to withdraw the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025 and reinstate the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, citing serious financial and federal concerns.Moving the resolution, the house noted that MGNREGA was enacted by the first UPA govt with Left support as a rights-based law under Article 41 of the Constitution to ensure employment and reduce rural poverty. It noted that the Act guarantees unemployment allowance if work is not provided on time, compensation for delayed wages, medical assistance for workplace accidents, grievance-redress mechanisms, including an ombudsman and mandatory social audits.
According to the resolution, 40.45 lakh families are enrolled under the scheme in Kerala, of which 19.43 lakh families, comprising 22.66 lakh workers, are currently active. The state has consistently worked to maximize employment days and improve livelihoods. In 2024-25, while the national average stood at 50.23 workdays per household, Kerala achieved an average of 66.17 days. Kerala has also introduced additional benefits, including the Tribal Plus scheme, for scheduled tribe families. The resolution said despite the scheme’s successful implementation, the Centre delayed its financial share and has now replaced the rights-based framework. It warned that the VB-G RAM G Act would impose a heavy financial burden on states and dilute legal guarantees.Under the new law, the Centre would fix a normative allocation, with states required to bear 40% of the cost, while the entire liability for employment beyond that allocation would fall on states. The assembly estimated an additional burden of about Rs 3,500 crore on Kerala. It also criticised the proposal to classify gram panchayats into A, B and C categories, limiting 125 days of work to centrally notified rural areas, which could exclude many panchayats in Kerala.
