{
  "id": 2426764,
  "title": "Supreme Court lauds scrapped MGNREGA as a ‘good, effective scheme’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/supreme-court-lauds-scrapped-mgnrega-as-a-good-effective-scheme",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-08-21T20:04:43.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Hindu",
    "slug": "the-hindu",
    "url": "https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/supreme-court-lauds-scrapped-mgnrega-scheme-calls-it-neither-freebie-nor-exploitation/article71373402.ece"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On August 21, 2026, the Supreme Court hailed the repealed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as a \"salutary scheme\" that delivered effective employment in rural areas. The court, however, noted that the successor program, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-G RAM G Act), had failed to generate the same level of employment, reporting a 50% drop despite guaranteeing 125 workdays per household annually, up from 100. Civil rights groups claim the shift from a demand-driven, rights-based framework to a centrally controlled model is to blame. The new law has also increased the funding burden on states three-fold, from a 90:10 ratio to 60:40. Chief Justice Surya Kant emphasized that MGNREGA was neither a freebie nor exploitation, and urged the government to pay delayed wages and provide compensation.",
  "summary": "The scheme was applauded by a three-judge Bench while hearing a petition on delayed wages under the defunct scheme; petition seeks to elevate the right to work as a fundamental right",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Associated Press",
        "title": "Supreme Court chief justice allows work on Trump’s $400M White House ballroom to continue for now",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/supreme-court-chief-justice-allows-work-on-trumps-400m-white-house",
        "published": "2026-08-21T18:23:02.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "PBS NewsHour",
        "title": "Supreme Court chief justice allows work on Trump's $400M White House ballroom to continue for now",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/supreme-court-chief-justice-allows-work-on-trumps-400m-white-house-2423674",
        "published": "2026-08-21T18:42:55.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "BBC News",
        "title": "Supreme Court temporarily unfreezes Trump ballroom construction",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/21/supreme-court-temporarily-unfreezes-trump-ballroom-construction",
        "published": "2026-08-21T19:52:48.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}