Employment generated under the government’s new rural job guarantee scheme fell by nearly half in July, the first month since it replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, The Indian Express reported on Monday. It guarantees 125 days of wage employment to rural households in a financial year, compared with 100 days under the old scheme. It also allows states to pause the employment guarantee for up to 60 days during peak sowing and harvesting periods. The VB-G Ram G Act received presidential assent on December 21, two days after it was passed by Parliament amid protests by Opposition parties. Five Opposition-ruled states – Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Telangana and Jharkhand – have passed resolutions opposing the VB-G Ram G Act, and seeking that the MGNREGA scheme be restored.