After the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Indian National Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday announced that the party will launch a nationwide ‘Save MNREGA’ campaign from January 5, making the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) the central focus of a mass movement. The meeting also focussed over the ongoing unrest in Bangladesh.
According to reports, Kharge said that party leaders took an oath during the meeting to protect MNREGA and oppose any attempt to weaken or alter the scheme.
“In the meeting, we took an oath. We decided to launch a massive movement across the country, making the MNREGA scheme the central point. The Indian National Congress party, taking a leading role, will launch the MNREGA Save Campaign from January 5th,” Kharge said.
Emphasising the importance of the scheme, the Congress chief said MNREGA is not merely a welfare programme but a constitutional right. “We will protect the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) at all costs. MNREGA is not just a scheme but a right to work guaranteed by the Constitution of India. We also pledge to democratically oppose every conspiracy to remove Gandhiji’s name from MNREGA,” he added.
VB-G RAM G) Bill Replaced MGNREGA
The remarks came after 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.
(With inputs from ANI)
