Congress accuses government of wage theft under rural job scheme in Maharashtra

The Congress party on Tuesday slammed the Central government over the implementation of the VB-G RAM G Act, calling it a surgical strike on rural India's social safety net. Party leaders pointed to recent media reports highlighting discrepancies in drought-hit Maharashtra.

Ground Realities

Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh cited a media report showing that while thousands of people were listed as working under the VB-G RAM G scheme in drought-affected Beed, no workers were found present on the ground across five inspected sites. The report noted that villagers had not worked for months even though official records showed them as employed. Ramesh alleged that local politicians from the ruling party are pocketing these wages.

Wider Allegations

Mr. Ramesh also stated that media investigations have revealed evidence of fake attendance and clone app scams in Uttar Pradesh and other states ruled by the BJP. Last week, the party criticized the administration, claiming the VB-G RAM Act leads to technology-driven exclusion, centralisation, and the weakening of gram panchayats.

Context

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, known as the VB-G RAM G Act, came into force nationwide on July 1, replacing the two-decade-old MGNREGA scheme introduced by the UPA government.