Agartala, 3rd July 2026: A large number of agricultural laborers and working-class people gathered at Agartala’s City Center on Friday, July 3, to stage a three-hour mass sit-in demonstration. Organized by the West District Committee of the Tripura Khet Mazdoor Union, the protest strongly demanded the immediate revival of the MGNREGA scheme and the complete withdrawal of the central government’s new ‘VB-G RAM G’ project.
Speaking to reporters at the protest venue, Shyamal Dey, the West Tripura District Secretary of the Union, stated that the central government has effectively scrapped MGNREGA to launch the commercial ‘VB-G RAM G’ project. He alleged that the ruling BJP-led NDA government used its majority in Parliament to pass this new policy. According to union leaders, the new project severely shrinks the fundamental right to work and will badly harm the rural market economy.
“MGNREGA operated as a matter of right, guaranteeing 100 days of employment or unemployment allowances to workers,” Dey explained. He highlighted that a major section of the job card holders are rural women who earn their living by selling their labor through this scheme. The money they earned previously circulated in the local economy, giving a much-needed boost to rural markets.
However, with MGNREGA virtually shut down for a long time, rural families have been pushed into a severe financial crisis. The union demanded that the government immediately clear all pending wages and restart the job scheme. While the nationwide protest was called by the All India Agricultural Workers Union and Left groups on July 1st, the Agartala demonstration was held on Friday. Other bodies, including the All India Krishak Sabha and CITU, also backed the protest.
