NREGA की जगह VBGRAM क्यों नहीं मंजूर?मजदूर संगठन करेंगे देशव्यापी आंदोलन!
Watch on YouTubeVideo summary
The video highlights a significant conflict between rural labor unions and the Indian government regarding the proposed replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new Bharatiya Gram Rozgar Abhiyan (VBGRAM). The speaker, representing the Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union, argues that the new law was enacted without consulting the very workers it affects, yet the government is now seeking suggestions on its implementation rules. The unions' primary demand is the immediate repeal of this new legislation and the restoration of MGNREGA, which they describe as a vital lifeline that provided social protection and helped the economy recover from the 2008 recession by increasing rural purchasing power. They contend that the new law undermines the spirit of rural employment guarantee and shifts the burden onto states in a centralized, bureaucratic manner that fails to protect vulnerable workers.
A major point of contention is the heavy reliance on technology in VBGRAM, which unions argue creates more obstacles than solutions for laborers. The transcript details numerous technical failures where biometric attendance systems fail due to minor changes in appearance or clothing, leading to denied wages and forced Aadhaar updates that sometimes require travel to Delhi. Workers report losing their daily attendance records randomly because of these glitches, effectively pushing them into a situation resembling bonded labor where they must accept low-paying work elsewhere during periods when no official jobs are available. The unions emphasize that technology should empower people rather than control them, noting that the current system causes confusion among lower-level employees and officers alike, leaving many without work or fair compensation.
In response to these issues, a joint platform of activists has organized a nationwide campaign to save MGNREGA, with major protests scheduled for July 1st, the date the new law is set to be implemented. The movement plans demonstrations at village, block, district, and state levels, alongside efforts to mobilize millions of people on the streets. Additionally, the organizers intend to meet Members of Parliament before the next session to demand their support in opposing the new act and plan protests outside parliament houses. The campaign also includes a "Jail Bharo" initiative, urging political parties, trade unions, and social organizations to join the struggle until the new law is scrapped, viewing this mass mobilization as the only viable option to protect rural livelihoods against what they perceive as an attempt to push workers back into slavery.
The speaker concludes by asserting that the government must listen to these demands because the issue directly concerns the survival of millions of farmers and laborers who depend on MGNREGA for their income and bargaining power. He notes that many educated children from rural backgrounds are unwilling to perform unskilled manual labor, leaving vacancies unfilled if this safety net is removed. With no other alternatives available to protect rural workers from exploitation and economic instability, the unions believe that continued struggle and mass mobilization are essential to force the government to return to a system that ensures fair wages, land reform, and genuine employment guarantees for the rural poor.
Read the full video transcript
Because you did not ask us, when we
said that you changed the law without asking us
and then you are asking for suggestions in the rules, then that is
our first suggestion.
Our mate is facing this problem that his
payment does not come on time. It takes a year
, it takes even two years. So if it comes to
eight weeks, then payment for four weeks is
made.
I am MA Economics
I am General Secretary of the Bharatiya Khet
Mazdoor Union. I know the conditions of the village people and I have been
working there. It is
not decided what will be the share of wages and what will be the share of material.
Hello, welcome to the news. As
you know, BB Ji Gram Ji has been
passed by the government and is going to
implement it in the first week of July. There was a
press conference regarding this and all the
activists who are part of the joint platform of NREGA Bachao Sangharsh Morcha, including All India Farm Labour Union, Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor Union, Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, Nikhil Dey and others, are on a joint
platform. Where a continuous campaign is being run to save NREGA. The
most
interesting thing is that when the government brought this law, it did
not consult anyone.
But now when its rules are being drafted,
suggestions have been sought regarding it and
other organizations should be invited to come and
give suggestions. So his press conference was regarding this only.
He said that we will
definitely go to that consultation but
our first suggestion to the government is that
this law should be repealed and NREGA should be
brought back. Because this law is
against the rural laborers. So
listen to what the labourers who were leaders of agriculture
said and in this press conference
many labourers who are MNREGA labourers from
different states also came and they
also put forth their views so what are they saying, how is
it visible as per the data, the
way the government is making claims
and what is the reality on the ground,
they have talked about it in a proper manner, listen to
what the labour union leaders and labourers are saying,
yes, if not then I feel that see what is happening that right now the
lower level employees. There is a
lot of confusion among them as to
who will get work under the new law and in which Gram
Panchayat will they get work because
categories for job cards will already be created. The
category of Gram Panchayat will be created and no
order has been issued by the Government of India. No
orders have been sent to the states. So there
is complete confusion. People are not getting work right now
and the way the environment is being created in the future too,
I don't think that
many people will be able to get work and
even if they get work, as we were talking about
in the past that the PM will provide work somewhere on the highways,
somewhere the work will be so difficult that people will be able to do it, that is, will
people be ready to do it for such a low amount of money or
not
and the raw work because in a way the
objective of MNREGA was to provide employment to the people
and with that employment there should be development, now they have
completely left that behind. At
present, it is not decided what will be the share of wages
and what will be the share of material.
So now most of the
work will be related to material, so people are going to face a lot of difficulties.
People are not going to get work.
Then they will provide you with a 60-day leave in a proper manner.
No one will get work during that holiday period. So, no matter how much money one has to pay to go to
someone's farm or
to someone's factory, the
labourers will be forced to go for the least amount of money.
So, in a way, by bringing a new law,
Narendra Modi is pushing the workers back into bonded labour slavery.
Yes, so we said that your first suggestion to us is to
repeal it now. This is the first suggestion
because you did not ask us, when
we said that you changed the law without asking us
and then you are asking for suggestions in the rules, then that is
our first suggestion. Secondly, the
issue of minimum wages that we
raised is not there in the rules. So we
said that we will also tell you all those things which
you have not mentioned in your rules and the
rules which you have included which have technology,
then Madulika will tell you that
whatever work you will give through the new technology structure that you have brought, it will
also be a big headache
for the labourers and instead of holding the labourers
accountable, if you hold those who
run your structure
accountable then the labourers will work on their own
and the little money that you will give will
also be enough.
So VV Gram Ji Vai is technology heavy.
At every step he has said that
biometric attendance of labourers will be taken and everything will be controlled
by technology
and today we are seeing the negative
aspects of it in MGNREGA
already. So we have done a study for a month
on you know how the attendance system is being
handled. And what are the difficulties the
workers are facing because of it. And we have
seen so many people lose their attendance because
of technology. We want technology
to be empowering. We want technology to
support people and also be in control of the
people who are actually accessing it. So
today everybody in the system is feeling
disappointed because of this whole online
attendance system. Right from the workers to
the men to the officers like the block
development officers, the CEOs, the computer
system nobody knows what is happening. The
updates happen very randomly and every time there is an
update, update happens, lot of
people lose their attendance because something was
not done right and the whole idea of
eKYC right is that no the workers photos are
mapped against their Aadhar card pictures
and that is the basis for attendance everyday.
That is also very flat because we are
seeing instances where if people have, you know, become
shaped their heads and made some changes to the way they
look, then the attendance does not happen right, those who say that they go to
work in the same
saree and blouse every day right because otherwise
the attendance does not happen and this is so random
people are having to update their Aadhaars every other day
and lot of
times we are also seeing Aadhaar suspensions because something was not done right
and they have to
redo some of them, even have to come to
Delhi to actually get them corrected
today
Platform of Agriculture and Sangharsh
Morcha we have met here we had discussed about
draft rules on
G Ramji Act we rejected the
act was destroying the spirit of the rural
employment
these rules are dementing the rural Employment
guarantee. So we refused the act, we
refused the rules. So on the basis of
today we have decided some camps. On
July first means the appointed date of the
Central Government released the
implementation date of this July first
on July first we are conducting
demonstrations all over the India village level
panchayat level block level district
level in the every level we are mobilizing
lakhs of lakhs of people
on the street that is the one campaign we
gave. The second one is the come before the coming
Parliament session we will meet the MPs
we will give the representation who are
opposing the new Act. MPs should
demonstrate in the Parliament.
On that purpose we demonstration in front
of the Parliament Members Houses also that is
the second programme and collect the
signatures also third one is we are thinking
till refill the agenda we are continue the
militant mass activities in India. So we
think the one big convention is in Delhi. And
State Campaign on the State Level State
Capital Extra Extra Hour Committee Appeal
to Political Parties Appeal to Trade
Unions Appeal to ESCAM Appeal to Every
Mahasar You should support this campaign on the
basis of the spirit of Hit India Death
August We are all We will participate the Jail Bharo
Campaign
Jail Bharo Campaign So we should continue until we
refill the new strength the MARG Back
the MARG The
path of the movement is very clear. This is the
new law that Bibi ji Ram ji has brought.
They have destroyed the spirit of MNREGA. I have
no responsibility. It has been placed on top of the state. It
is totally centralized. It is being
implemented in a bureaucratic manner. And
more people are being eliminated by taking new technology.
Whatever we have, there is no other option for us to
protect it and strengthen it further.
Therefore,
struggle is our only option. For this,
we are continuously massaging the people and on
July 1, the day it is being implemented, there will be a
protest. Earlier also
we were running Harampara campaign from 15th June to 20th June
and on 23rd June, demand letters were being
continuously sent to the district headquarters within the country.
Protests are being held and letters are being
sent to the Prime Minister.
That is why we have to strengthen it further, make provision for
new alternative jobs for these people, provide
land, MNREGA
is not the only option and we will also emphasize on other things, do you
think the government will listen to you
because you people are so much into the government,
look at me, why will the government not
listen to you, the government has to take
votes from all over the country, it has to come to power, so to
support this, there are people
there, farmers, laborers, many
political parties also. There is just demand for them. It is a
question of his livelihood. This
MNREGA was the lifeline for these people in today's times.
It had social protection.
One of the best laws in the country and the world
was employment guarantee. Due to
increase in purchasing power of people, the
country was saved from the Great Recession Depression of 2008.
Their purchasing power increased.
People bought goods, factories ran.
This is all there is. That is why our main ultimate aim is to provide
protection to these people, to
increase their income, to increase their bargaining power,
their
dependence should not be on big land lords, it should be the
responsibility of the government to knock on their doors, the government should do
land reform for them and give them two acres of land each,
many of the educated children
from rural labourers are not ready to do this unskilled work.
And the vacancies that are lying vacant should be filled up. There
are many other substitutes also. There
is a huge fight for this. I have been
fighting among rural laborers for 45 years.
I am MA Economics from I am
General Secretary of the Bharatiya Khet Mazdoor
Union. I know the condition of the village people. I have been
working among those people.
That is why in today's time there is no alternative for this and them except
struggle.
What will be their condition if this is also opened?