Vijay Writes To PM On VB-GRMG Implementation
The State Government should therefore be permitted to formulate its own customized methodology for intra-state distribution based on localized, ground-level needs and the notification of peak agricultural seasons also required greater field-level flexibility, he said.
Chennai: Averring that some provisions of the VBGRAMG (Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission - Gramin) - Act that has come in the place of the old MGNREGA required critical modifications and relaxations for its seamless and effective execution to help the rural population that was dependent on it, Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay said the scheme could be executed with greater strategic vision, maximum local impact and a sharper focus on rural empowerment with the suggested adjustments.
In his letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday, Vijay said the new scheme imposed an additional financial burden of over Rs 5000 crore as the fund-sharing pattern under the current guidelines mandated a 60:40 ratio between the Union and State across the wage, material, and administrative components.
Pointing out that the MGNREGS operated under a different structure for two decades, he said the abrupt shift might reduce available wage employment days or crowd out other essential welfare schemes.
Requesting Modi to maintain the 100% funding for wage and administrative components with the material component shared on a 75:25 basis between the Union and State governments, he wanted the continuation of the scheme in the name of Mahatma Gandhi in order to honour his legacy and foster public goodwill aligned with the core ethos of the scheme.
Tamil Nadu had consistently been a national forerunner in implementing rural employment guarantees and the new scheme with the vital adjustments suggested by the State could be executed with greater strategic vision, maximum local impact, and a sharper focus on rural empowerment, he said.
The proposed centralized methodology for classifying Village Panchayats and distribution within the State normative allocations introduced micromanagement, he said, adding that a uniform, formulaic national approach failed to account for regional socio-economic diversity and risked lopsided grass root allocations, he said.
The State Government should therefore be permitted to formulate its own customized methodology for intra-state distribution based on localized, ground-level needs and the notification of peak agricultural seasons also required greater field-level flexibility, he said.
While the Act mandated the State to notify a fixed 60-day period per financial year covering peak sowing and harvesting, the unpredictable climate fluctuations such as El Niño frequently altered agricultural timelines, creating sudden unseasonal labour demand or a sharp need for safety-net employment during pre-notified peak periods, he said.
Instead of advance notification, the authority should be decentralized allowing District Collectors to notify the 60-day peak period dynamically as per local conditions, he said.
Since the extension of wage employment support to State housing schemes was a vital priority, State Housing Schemes under the VB-GRAMG framework should be used to
significantly accelerate welfare targets and help in ensuring housing for all, he said. Though the Act permitted convergence with Union rural housing schemes, it excludes State-funded housing initiatives, he pointed out.
“Housing for All” was a primary objective of the State Government, aimed at empowering underprivileged rural and tribal communities to live with dignity, he said.