'First announce, then think': Congress's Jairam Ramesh says Centre rushed repeal of MGNREGA without consultation

New Delhi [India], March 9 (ANI): Congress MP Jairam Ramesh on Monday criticised the Union government after a news article indicated that regulations required to implement the new rural employment law replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme are yet to be finalised.
Sharing a newspaper article on X, Ramesh alleged that the government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi had rushed through legislation in Parliament to replace the previous rural employment scheme without adequate consultations.
"In Dec 2025, in just two days, the Modi Govt bulldozed the repeal of MGNREGA through the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. No consultations with states took place. No legislative scrutiny by the Standing Committee concerned took place. It was said that extreme urgency for the repeal and its substitution by the Viksit Bharat Grameen Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission Guarantee Act was because the new law was to be implemented from April 1, 2026," he said.

In Dec 2025, in just two days the Modi Govt bulldozed the repeal of MGNREGA through the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. No consultations with states took place. No legislative scrutiny by the Standing Committee concerned took place. It was said that extreme urgency for the repeal and… pic.twitter.com/85SYbN0Ogd

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) March 9, 2026

"Now, it turns out that the consultations that should have happened earlier is taking place. Details are still being worked out. A perfect example of the Modi Govt's FAST approach to governance--First Announce, Subsequently Think!" the post read.
He further claimed that the government had justified the urgency by stating that the new legislation, the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, would come into force from April 1. However, he pointed to reports suggesting that consultations and rule-making processes are still ongoing.
The article cited by Ramesh reported that the Centre is yet to finalise several key rules required for implementing the new act.
On December 18 last year, the Parliament passed the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act as India's flagship rural employment guarantee scheme. (ANI)