The passage of the VB–G RAM G Act to replace the MGNREGA is not a routine legislative exercise or a benign administrative reform. It is a fundamental retreat from India’s commitment to a legally enforceable right to work and an unmistakable shift away from decentralisation, federalism and economic dignity that have underpinned rural livelihoods for nearly two decades. The attempt to rebrand and restructure MGNREGA cannot be divorced from the ideology that no rural household willing to work will be left without livelihood support. Despite claims that the new law aligns with the ideals of Ram Rajya, good governance cannot be achieved by weakening Panchayati Raj institutions and marginalising states.

The most damaging aspect of the new scheme is its reclassification of rural employment as a centrally sponsored programme with a 60:40 funding pattern........

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