Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan today presented the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) (VB–G RAMJI) Bill in the Lok Sabha, a key development highlighted in Indian News in Punjabi. The government plans to replace the 20-year-old MGNREGA Act and raise daily wages to ₹125.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Bill will fulfil Mahatma Gandhi’s dream of self-reliant villages. He added that it will ensure steady employment for rural citizens. As Rural Development Minister, he stressed that the Bill will boost village development and reduce poverty.
Congress MP Jaiprakash accused the government of committing a serious mistake by removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the Bill. Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra also criticised the move. She accused the government of insulting Mahatma Gandhi and Rabindranath Tagore.
Moitra said the Bill weakens Mahatma Gandhi’s idea of Ram Rajya. Meanwhile, leaders from CPI(M), CPI, CPI(ML)-Liberation, RSP, and the All India Forward Bloc issued a joint statement. They demanded that the government withdraw the Bill and warned of protests on December 22.
The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha and social activists also announced protests from December 19. This issue remains a major focus of Indian News in Punjabi coverage.
