G RAM G Bill passed in Lok Sabha as Centre and Opposition trade jibes

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025 has been passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday (December 18), following which the House was adjourned for the day.

Earlier in the day, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan’s response to the discussion on Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, in Lok Sabha began in chaos as the Opposition MPs trooped into the Well of the House on Thursday (December 18).

VB-G RAM G Bill aligns with Gandhi's vision

Chouhan said that he was paying tribute to Gandhi, adding that the BJP walks on the path shown by him. The Bill, says Chouhan, is for the development of the villages; a vision aligned with Gandhi's.

Also Read: 'VB-G RAM G Bill undermines MGNREGA spirit', says Shashi Tharoor

Chouhan said that the development of villages has been a central agenda of successive governments, and multiple schemes have been rolled out over the years.

"NREGA was not launched with the suffix Mahatma Gandhi. They added Mahatma Gandhi ahead of the 2009 polls with an eye on elections and vote bank," Chouhan claimed, adding that the UPA spent only Rs 2.13 lakh crore on NREGA during its term, but the Modi government has spent Rs 8.53 lakh crore on it since 2014. He alleged NREGA was beset with pilferage and corruption duringthe UPA days, but the Modi government made it corruption-free.

Chouhan slams Congress over Gandhi

"Priyanka Gandhi was talking about removing the name of Mahatma Gandhi. They (Priyanka's family) are not Gandhis, but they stole Gandhi's name. Priyanka Gandhi talked about the 'sanak' (obsession) of changing names. They are the ones who are obsessed with names, and because of that, they named everything after Nehru, Indira and Rajiv. Modi government is not obsessed with names but with work," Chouhan adds.

Also Read: 'PM Modi opposed to Gandhi’s ideas', says Rahul on MGNREGA replacement bid

"They never followed Gandhi; we do. Gandhi wanted the Congress to be dissolved after independence, but Nehru didn't do so to cling to power. They killed Bapu the day they didn't dissolve the Congress. They killed Bapu the day they gave special status to J&K. They killed Bapu the day they accepted Partition," says Chouhan.

Alleges corruption in NREGA

Chauhan further alleged that funds under NREGA were supposed to be spent in a way that 60 per cent goes towards the wage bill and 40 per cent towards material, but only to get more and more money from the Centre, Opposition-ruled states hire more people for NREGA to get central funds because the Centre had to pay the wage bill.

Also Read: BJP govt's pattern - ​​oppose good policy, defame, then adopt under public pressure: Congress

"Fund allocation between states was unequal. It needed to be rationalised. Funds under the scheme were supposed to be spent in a way that 60 per cent goes towards the wage bill and 40 per cent towards material, but only to get more and more money from the Centre, their (Opposition) states would hire more people for NREGA to get central funds because the Centre had to pay the wage bill. This was a corruption scheme," Chouhan claims.

Lauds new bill for transparency

The Union Minister further stated that the new scheme is intended to rationalise and bring transparency, allowing for the comprehensive development of villages.

As for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name, Chouhan said that the new nomenclature represents the spirit of the new law. The Opposition MPs then tore copies of the Bill and threw them at Chouhan.

Also Read: MGNREGA scam: Bengal funds misused, TN got more than UP, says govt

Continuing with his amid Opposition's sloganeering and protests in the Well of the House, Chouhan said that the Congress reduced budget allocation for NREGA from Rs 40,000 crore to Rs 33,000 crore and did not give adequate employment, but the Modi government allocated 1.11 lakh crores for NREGA only because PM Modi wanted to generate employment.

'Congress wanted to keep country poor'

"Congress wanted to keep the country poor. Indira Gandhi gave the slogan of Garibi Hatao but wanted to remove the poor and not poverty. They brought NREGA only in 2005... It is only Modi's government that has worked for poverty alleviation," said Chouhan.

"This Bill realises Bapu's vision... a New India is being created under Modi's leadership. We will not be affected by these protests," concluded Chouhan.

As Opposition MPs continued to protest in the Well of the House, Speaker Om Birla put Bill's clauses to a vote. Amendments moved by Opposition MPs were not taken up for a vote because the MPs were not at their seats. The House was adjourned for the day after the Bill was passed.