Chennai, July 10:
CPI state secretary M. Veerapandian on Thursday called on the BJP-led NDA government to continue the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), alleging that its proposed replacement, the VB-G Ram G Scheme 2025, dilutes workers’ legal rights and shifts an unfair financial burden onto states.
Veerapandian said MGNREGS, introduced in 2005, guarantees rural households a legal right to 100 days of employment. However, he pointed out that workers in Tamil Nadu have received only 43 to 52 days of work annually between 2021-22 and 2025-26.
Citing government data, he claimed that fewer than 5% of workers were able to complete the full 100 days of employment under the scheme. Criticising the Centre’s promise of 125 days of employment under the new scheme, Veerapandian termed it “misleading.”
He argued that Tamil Nadu would require approximately Rs 30,096 crore to provide wages to 69.79 lakh beneficiary families. In contrast, the Centre has allocated only Rs 12,642 crore for 2026-27 and has asked the state to contribute an additional Rs 5,056 crore.
Veerapandian further noted that Tamil Nadu received only Rs 2,176.84 crore in the first instalment from the Centre’s nationwide release of Rs 25,000 crore, stating that the amount is insufficient to ensure 125 days of employment at a wage rate of Rs 345 per day.
Referring to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay’s letter dated July 1 to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking the continuation of MGNREGS, Veerapandian urged the Centre to retain and strengthen the scheme. He also demanded full central funding to guarantee 125 days of employment for every eligible rural worker.