VB-G RAM G Clears Lok Sabha: End of MGNREGA Era? How It Will Help Rural Workers - Explained

New Delhi: The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, set to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, was passed in the Lok Sabha on Thursday amid strong protests from Opposition MPs. Demanding that the legislation be referred to a standing committee, Opposition members staged demonstrations in the Well of the House and tore papers after the Speaker ruled that the Bill had already been debated at length. The legislation will now be taken up in the Rajya Sabha.The new bill - VB-G RAM G - makes significant changes from the existing MGNREGA for the betterment and welfare of rural workers like increasing the guaranteed number of employment days, reducing wage waiting period,

among others.The bill aims at establishing a "rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047". Let's take a look at big changes the new bill proposes from the existing MGNREGA.

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Increased Guaranteed Employment Days

• Viksit Bharat’s Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) 2025 - VB- G RAM G - proposes to raise the guaranteed employment days from 100 to 125 in a financial year to every rural household.

Centre, States Both Will Contribute For Wage Payment

• Under VB-G Ram G, not just the Centre, but the States too will have to share the burden for wage payment.
• The Centre would make an allocation for each state, to be estimated based on certain parameters. Further, expenditure in excess of the approved normative allocation shall be the responsibility of the state governments.
• It will be a centrally sponsored scheme, and every state government will have to prepare a scheme for giving effect to the guarantee proposed under this bill, within a period of six months from the date of the commencement of the Act.

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Pause in Guaranteed Employment During Peak Agriculture Season

• The VB-G RAM G bill also proposes a pause in the guaranteed employment during the peak agriculture season. The idea behind pausing the guaranteed employment is to ensure that adequate labour availability.
• According to the bill, it is crucial to facilitate the availability of farm labour, especially during the peak agricultural season.
• It has a provision to empower states to notify in advance, for a certain duration, covering peak sowing and harvesting seasons, during which execution of works under this bill will not be undertaken.

Weekly Payments Instead of 15-Days

• Under the new VB-G RAM G scheme, workers will be eligible for weekly payments unlike 15-day wait period in MGNREGAALSO READ | 'Waste of Time, Money': Priyanka Gandhi Slams Govt on Proposal to Scrap MGNREGA Name

Why Govt Wants To Replace MGNREGA With VB-G RAM G

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, in the statement of purpose of the Bill, said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage-employment to rural households over the past 20 years.However, "further strengthening has become necessary in view of the significant socio-economic transformation witnessed in the rural landscape driven by widespread coverage of the social security interventions and saturation-oriented implementation of major government schemes", he said.

What's The Ideology Behind VB-G RAM G?

While the MGNREGA focused on the goal to "enhance the livelihood security", the new bill says it aims to promote "empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation for a prosperous and resilient rural Bharat", and lays emphasis on "empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation through public works aggregating into forming Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack".Water security through water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events will be the "thematic focus". It will also facilitate adequate farm-labour availability during peak agricultural seasons.With a focus on institutionalised convergence, the bill seeks to integrate 'Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans' with the PM Gati Shakti to address the "varying needs" of village panchayats.A comprehensive digital ecosystem, including biometric authentication at various levels, global positioning system or mobile-based worksite monitoring, real-time management information system dashboards, proactive public disclosures, and use of artificial intelligence for planning, audits and fraud risk mitigation, will be used to modernise governance, accountability and citizen engagement, the bill stated.

What Is MGNREGA?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, better known as MGNREGA, aims at enhancing the livelihood security of households in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It was enacted in 2005.The Winter Session of Parliament, which started on December 1, will conclude on December 19.With inputs from PTI