AIKS endorsed a set of demands raised by workers’ groups, including the rollback of the VB-G RAM(G) Act, expansion of MGNREGA to at least 200 days of guaranteed work, and a minimum wage of ₹700 linked to inflation. File
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
NREGA Sangharsh Morcha and All India Kisan Sabha (AIKS) have called for an all-India strike by Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers on May 15, against the government’s decision to discontinue the scheme. The Act will stand repealed on July 1, as per a notification issued by the Union Government on Monday (May 11, 2026).
Describing MGNREGA as the “only legal guarantee of employment” for rural workers, AIKS said the scheme has served as a crucial lifeline for poor peasants, agricultural labourers, women, and rural youth. It alleged that budget cuts, “exclusionary technological barriers”, delayed wage payments, and the VB-G RAM (G) Act were undermining the rights-based character of the programme and weakening rural livelihoods.
The organisation endorsed a set of demands raised by workers’ groups, including the rollback of the VB-G RAM(G) Act, expansion of MGNREGA to at least 200 days of guaranteed work, and a minimum wage of ₹700 linked to inflation. It also called for the withdrawal of “exclusionary” attendance and payment systems, including those based on facial recognition, and for enhancing the role of Gram Sabhas in planning and implementation of works.
Published – May 12, 2026 10:49 pm IST
