Congress Questions Centre Over Decline in Rural Employment

Congress has strongly criticised the Narendra Modi led Central government over the implementation of the rural employment guarantee scheme. Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh attacked the VB-G RAM G Act, which replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), alleging that the new law only promises employment on paper and is actually a form of “job theft”.

Jairam Ramesh said rural employment declined sharply in the first month after the new law came into effect in July 2026. Sharing a media report based on official data on X, he claimed that employment generated under the new scheme in July 2026 was significantly lower than the employment provided under MGNREGA during July 2025. He questioned the Centre’s approach to rural employment and accused the government of weakening the employment guarantee system.