New Employment Bill Stirs Parliament Protests

Parliament approved the VB-G RAM G Bill, replacing MGNREGA and ensuring 125 days of wage employment annually. Passed amid opposition protests over omitting 'Mahatma Gandhi' from the scheme's name, the Bill faces criticism for state financial burdens. The government defends it as necessary to correct past inefficiencies.

In a significant legislative move, Parliament passed the VB-G RAM G Bill, a replacement of the MGNREGA, ensuring 125 days of wage employment each year. The decision was met with fierce opposition protests centered around the omission of Mahatma Gandhi's name from the new scheme.

Passed by the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha amidst vocal objections, opposition members criticized the financial pressures imposed on states by the new legislation. The opposition demanded the Bill's withdrawal and sent it for further scrutiny by a parliamentary panel, staging a walkout and a dharna in protest.

Defending the Bill, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accused the previous UPA government of corruption under MGNREGA, asserting that the new legislation addresses these flaws. Chouhan condemned the opposition for allegedly misusing Gandhi's ideals for political advantage.

(With inputs from agencies.)