By H.H. Mohrmen

My fascination with fancy car number plates began when I was in England. It was there that I learned wealthy individuals could own personalized plates if they could afford them.

Car owners could buy or bid for unique combinations, often reflecting their names. I was told the only condition was that the plate must contain a mix of letters and numbers. I saw plates such as R1CK, P3T3R, JAM35, H3L3N, R3B3CKA, and even simply B3CK which is fascinating.
In 2009, during a trip to the United States, I had a similar experience. While travelling in my host's car, I noticed a vehicle ahead with a distinctive number plate. It looked familiar, but I could not immediately decipher it. Only later, when I saw a familiar image on a bumper sticker, did I realise what the plate JA1RAMJ1 was suggesting. The car likely belonged to an Indian living abroad, perhaps a devout Hindu deeply devoted to Lord Ram.
I experienced a similar feeling when I first saw reports of a bill tabled in Parliament proposing to replace one of the country's most successful schemes, MGNREGS, with what is now referred to as VB GRAMG. The moment I saw the name, I sensed that it carried a deeper message and intent. It appears to be a clever branding strategy, one that subtly introduces a particular narrative into the public domain.
The Repealed MGNREG
MGNREG was one of the very popular government schemes which had created so much interest among the public and has also helped many villages in Jaiñtia transform. The few villages that became models of MG's successful implementation were Shnongpdeng, Sohkha, Shnong Nongtalang Mission, and Shangpung village. There are a few reasons that made the scheme so popular: it was the first rights-based, demand-driven, bottom-up rather than top-down approach, which has also helped create vital infrastructure for the villages and, most importantly, helped people to be gainfully employed.
It also helped empower the villagers, where for the construction of footpaths, retaining walls, and water conservation structures, they do not have to depend on their political representatives anymore. They plan, then demand, and implement the project. Later, livelihood support was also allowed, which helped villagers construct animal sheds and even plant fruit trees to help them be gainfully employed.
It may be mentioned that the primary objective of MGNREGA is to enhance the livelihood security of rural households by promoting sustainable rural development. It also emphasizes the creation of productive assets such as water conservation structures, rural roads, and other infrastructure projects that contribute to the overall development of rural areas.
The act promotes the active participation of women in the workforce and ensures one-third of the beneficiaries are women or at least 50% of the workers are women. This not only contributes to women's empowerment but also addresses gender disparities in rural employment. It is very inclusive, as it ensures ST and SC also get special consideration, and there is also a provision for a special job card for differently-abled people.
MGNREGA emphasizes transparency in the implementation of projects and financial transactions. Social audits are conducted to ensure accountability and enable local communities to actively participate in monitoring the implementation of projects. Information about the scheme, including work details, wages, and funds allocated, is made available to the public through various channels.
The use of technology is encouraged for efficient implementation and monitoring. The Electronic Fund Management System (e-FMS) is employed to transfer wages directly to the bank accounts of the workers, reducing leakages and ensuring timely payments. This helps in minimizing corruption and improving the efficiency of the programme.
In a nutshell, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA prioritizes sustainable development and environmental stewardship, striving to create a greener, more sustainable future for generations to come by prioritizing works that contribute to ecological conservation and rural infrastructure development. Central to the scheme's vision is a commitment to transparency and accountability, ensuring that funds are utilized efficiently and beneficiaries' rights are upheld through mechanisms such as social audits, grievance redressal, and proactive public disclosure.
However, the passing of the Bill, which has done away with the old MGNREGA, has disturbed the smooth functioning of the scheme. Now everything will have to start from the beginning, but is there any difference between the old and the new?
Old wine in a new bottle
The new scheme which was passed by Parliament is called VB GRAMG, and the goal is to make India a Vikshit Bharat, or a developed country, by 2047. However, on a closer look, it was found that most of the salient features of the Act are similar, if not a repetition of the old Act.
The only major difference that the VB GRAMG has with the old MGNREGS scheme is the number of days for which employment is guaranteed for job card holders, which has now increased from 100 to 125 days. If we deduct Sundays, the number of working days in the year which is not covered by the scheme comes to 93. In the new scheme, 60 days are also reserved for farmers to engage in farming-related activities like sowing, weeding, and harvesting. Taking all these days into consideration, in a year, the total number of days for which jobs are guaranteed for villagers will come to 313 days.
The other additional feature in the new Act is a pause on works during the agricultural season, which requires state governments to announce in advance a period of up to 60 days for every financial year during which works under the scheme will not be undertaken. This period will cover peak agricultural seasons, including sowing and harvesting, and requires that all blocks should come up with a farming calendar specific to their areas.
With regard to planning, the new Act retains MGNREGA features wherein gram panchayats/VEC are responsible for identifying projects in their area under the scheme. The list of permissible work in MGNREG was 264, whereas in the new Act works will focus on four thematic domains: (i) water security, (ii) rural infrastructure, (iii) livelihood-related infrastructure, and (iv) mitigation of extreme weather events.
Implementation and monitoring also retain the old aspects of the Act, wherein it constitutes the National Level Steering Committee, which will provide high-level oversight and recommend normative allocations. It also constitutes a Steering Committee for each state. Key functions of the State Committee include: (i) overseeing convergence with other programmes, (ii) aggregation of district plans into state plans, and (iii) coordinating with the National Committee.
The Bill provides for the use of: (i) biometric authentication for transactions, (ii) geospatial technology for planning and monitoring, (iii) mobile application-based dashboards for real-time tracking, and (iv) weekly public disclosure systems. This aspect of implementation was also present in the old scheme.
The funding pattern also remains the same. In fact, the new Act retains most of the features from MGNREGA, and it is safe to say that the new scheme is but old wine in a new bottle.
Central rules and regulations, instruction
For the implementation of the scheme, the central government is expected to come up with the rules within six months. Similarly, the state government too is expected to do the same. People will have to wait for six months in this interim period before the scheme is implemented. The government should also ensure how to make the public in general, and the headmen in particular, aware of the changes in the scheme. The scheme will not be effectively implemented unless those involved in the implementation are aware of it. Time is money, so the sooner the central and the state governments come up with the regulations and create maximum awareness about the scheme, the better.
Local name for the scheme
It was one of the most popular schemes ever implemented by both the state and the central government. The scheme has even entered the vocabulary of the common people, who have come up with a local name for it. In the Khasi-Jaiñtia region of the state, it is commonly known by two names: Shispah Sngi or Job Card. If a villager is asked what they did today, the answer will be "leit trei shispah sngi" or "leit trei job card," which are now common expressions.
The question then arises: what name shall we give to VB GRAMG? We can no longer call it "shispah sngi," since the scheme now guarantees 120 days of employment. The term "kreh trei job card" may still remain relevant, but are there alternative names that the public can easily relate to and adopt? One possible local adaptation could be "ka skim kram," especially since the V sound does not exist in the Khasi Jaiñtia vocabulary. Another option might be "skim gram." However, beyond the question of naming, the more pressing concern is the effective and immediate implementation of the scheme, something that rural communities have been anxiously waiting for.