New Delhi, Sep 23 (PTI) The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on Wednesday alleged that 9.56 crore person-days of rural employment had been lost in July-August this year compared with the corresponding period last year, terming the decline a “cruel assault on the rural poor” and announcing a coordination meeting with agricultural workers’ unions to intensify protests.
Citing data from the Ministry of Rural Development’s Rural Employment Dashboard, the SKM said 29.77 crore person-days of work were generated in July-August 2025 under MGNREGA, compared with 20.21 crore person-days in the corresponding period this year under Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G), a decline of around 28.51 per cent.
“The VB G RAM G Act has proven fatal to people, eliminating workdays in a cruel assault on the rural poor,” the farmers’ body said in a statement.
The SKM said Rajasthan, Bihar and Odisha had reported the lowest number of workdays during the transition period, with Rajasthan witnessing one of the steepest decline of more than 52 per cent in July, compared to the corresponding period in 2025.
It said while Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) legally guaranteed up to 100 days of manual labour to every rural household, the actual average employment provided per beneficiary household had remained between 45 and 52 days a year, with only around 7 to 10 per cent of participating households completing the full 100 days in a financial year.
The SKM demanded restoration of MGNREGA with the guarantee enhanced to 200 days and the daily wage raised to Rs 700.
The organisation has scheduled a coordination meeting with the Platform of Agricultural Workers’ Unions and independent unions at 3 pm on September 25 at Harkishan Singh Surjeet Bhawan here to discuss “intensifying united struggles” on common and independent demands, it said.
The SKM had earlier announced that it would restart the farmers’ struggle from November 26.
It also reiterated its demands for legal guarantee of minimum support price (MSP) based on the formula recommended by the Swaminathan Commission with assured procurement, comprehensive farm loan waiver and compensation of Rs 25 lakh to families of farmers and daily workers who died by suicide.
It sought implementation of the Forest Rights Act and Provisions of Panchayats (Extension to Scheduled Areas) Act (PESA), also opposing land acquisition in violation of the 2013 law.
The farmers’ body also criticised the government’s pursuit of free trade agreements and alleged that these were aimed at “recolonisation of India under a global trade and unilateral tariff regime headed by the USA”. PTI AO ARB
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