Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje Opposes New Rural Employment Bill In Lok Sabha

Nashik: The ‘Viksit Bharat- Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025’, tabled by the Central Government in the Lok Sabha, has triggered strong reactions in Parliament. Nashik MP Rajabhau Waje opposed the Bill, alleging that its provisions strike at the very foundation of rural workers’ fundamental rights. The Bill seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Speaking during the Lok Sabha debate, Waje stated that although the government claims to guarantee 125 days of employment, the proposed legislation effectively dilutes the rights-based nature of employment and attempts to confine it within budgetary limitations. “Employment guarantee is a legal right and cannot be restricted within the framework of financial calculations,” he asserted.

Waje strongly objected to the provision of ‘Normative Allocation’ in the Bill. Under this clause, the Central Government will fix an annual expenditure limit for each state, and any spending beyond this limit will have to be borne entirely by the respective state government.

He warned that in situations such as drought, excessive rainfall, natural disasters or economic slowdown—when the demand for work naturally rises—the additional financial burden would be shifted onto the states. As a result, states would be left with no option but to reduce the number of workdays offered to labourers.

Waje added this provision undermines the very core principle of employment guarantee, calling it a serious blow to the spirit of social security and rural livelihoods.