Telangana Opposes Centre’s Proposed Rural Employment Bill, Says Uttam Kumar Reddy

Telangana Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has declared that the state government will not accept the Centre's proposed Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar Aajeevika Mission (VB GRAM G) Bill, 2025 in its current form, alleging that it infringes upon the rights of states and weakens the federal framework envisaged in the Constitution.

The minister made the remarks after chairing the second meeting of a Cabinet sub-committee at the Dr B.R. Ambedkar Telangana Secretariat on Saturday to discuss the implications of the proposed legislation, which seeks to replace key provisions of the existing rural employment guarantee system.

Addressing the meeting, Uttam Kumar Reddy described the proposal as a direct challenge to the spirit of federalism rather than a simple policy reform. He said the Telangana government would prioritise the interests of farmers, agricultural labourers and rural poor families, and would oppose any move that threatens their livelihood security.

The minister stated that legal experts had identified several provisions in the proposed law as potentially unconstitutional . He warned that the state was prepared to pursue legal remedies, including approaching the Supreme Court , if required. He also said Telangana was willing to coordinate with neighbouring states such as Karnataka and Kerala to mount a joint opposition to the proposed legislation.

Representatives from nearly 20 civil society organisations participated in the discussions and strongly opposed the Centre's proposal. Several organisations urged the state government to consider enacting a separate law to safeguard rural employment rights in Telangana.

The groups also rejected the proposal to limit guaranteed employment to 60 days per year , arguing that it would severely affect rural households. Instead, they demanded a legal guarantee of at least 200 days of employment for every rural family, along with payment of statutory minimum wages.

Uttam Kumar Reddy further expressed concern over the proposed 60:40 funding-sharing formula , stating that it could place an additional burden of thousands of crores of rupees on Telangana. He said the state's legal department was examining the issue.

The minister criticised what he termed the Centre's unilateral approach to policymaking and said states with strong implementation records should not be disadvantaged. He announced that the matter would be discussed in detail at the State Cabinet meeting on July 2 , where the government would take a final decision on possible legal action, a state-specific law, or other measures.

Panchayat Raj Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka , Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao , Labour Minister Gaddam Vivek Venkataswamy , and senior officials participated in the review meeting, with some joining through video conference.