Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh on Monday alleged that the first month of the Modi governments VB-G RAM G scheme had exposed the cost of replacing MGNREGA, claiming rural employment had fallen sharply in July compared with the corresponding month last year.Ramesh said workdays generated under the new scheme fell by 49.94 per cent in July 2026 compared with July 2025, when MGNREGA was in operation. He also claimed that the number of families receiving employment declined by 51.45 per cent during the period.