New Delhi: The Grievance Redressal Rules under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, which were notified by the Union Ministry of Rural Development on November 2, dropped several provisions that had figured in the draft rules, The Hindu has reported.The report by Sobhana K. Nair notes that among the key clauses which were dropped was a provision requiring the registration of a first information report (FIR) for prima facie evidence of financial irregularities.Also to go is the requirement to place action-taken reports before local body meetings for review and monitoring.The report notes that these provisions had been part of the Grievance Redressal Rules of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which was replaced by VB-G RAM G by the Narendra Modi government.The new rules make space to allow for complaints to be filed on any matter related to the implementation of the scheme, and for these grievances to be resolved within a period of 15 days.The government press release says, “The Rules aim to make grievance redressal more accessible, transparent and accountable, while ensuring that citizens’ concerns receive timely attention and appropriate action.”Also read: A Short History of MNREGA: 20 Years in Ten ChartsHowever, Nair’s report finds that the government has dropped a proposal for a ‘designated day’ each week during which grievance officials would receive complaints. Now, the government notes, complaints can be submitted in person before a designated Grievance Redressal Officer, through Speed Post, on a digital grievance platform notified by the government, or through telephone helplines and other modes specified by state governments.The rules specify that no grievance can be refused registration on the grounds of format, language, manner of submission, or procedural deficiencies.The rules also provide for appeals against orders passed under the grievance redressal mechanism in accordance with Schedule I to the VB–G RAM G Act, 2025.As many experts have noted, the VB-G RAM G scheme clearly departs from the basic spirit and foundational principles of MGNREGA. Shortly after this switch, Vikram Singh wrote on The Wire, how the MGNREGA is a demand-driven programme that legally obligates the state to provide employment, but the hand, VB-G RAM G “overturns this principle by converting a statutory right into a discretionary scheme and shifts the financial and administrative burden onto state governments.”