President Murmu gives assent to VB-G RAM G Bill, replacing MGNREGA

President Droupadi Murmu has granted assent to the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025. As reported by IANS, a senior official from the Rural Development Ministry described the move as a significant step in reshaping India’s rural employment policy. With the President’s assent, the legislation now becomes the VB—G RAM G Act, 2025.

The new law expands the statutory wage employment guarantee for rural households to 125 days per financial year. It aims to promote empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of development schemes and saturation-based delivery, reinforcing the vision of a prosperous, resilient and self-reliant Rural Bharat. Parliament had earlier cleared the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, signalling a major overhaul of the country’s rural employment and development framework.

The Act replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, introducing a contemporary statutory structure designed to strengthen livelihood security while aligning with the national roadmap of Viksit Bharat @2047.

According to a statement issued by the Ministry, the legislation is grounded in the principles of empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation. It seeks to reposition rural employment from a standalone welfare measure into a comprehensive development tool.

The Act enhances income stability for rural families, upgrades governance and accountability mechanisms, and integrates wage employment with the creation of durable and productive rural assets, the statement said, laying the groundwork for a resilient Rural Bharat.

One of the major features of the law is the enhanced statutory employment guarantee. Under Section 5(1), the Act assures not less than 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to rural households whose adult members are willing to perform unskilled manual work.

This increase from the earlier 100-day entitlement is expected to improve income security, ensure greater predictability of work and provide more stable livelihoods, while enabling rural workers to participate more effectively in national development efforts.

The legislation also incorporates provisions to balance agricultural needs and rural labour availability. To address labour requirements during peak sowing and harvesting periods, States have been empowered under Section 6 to declare an aggregated pause period of up to 60 days in a financial year.

The Ministry clarified that the overall guarantee of 125 days remains unaffected and will be fulfilled during the remaining period, ensuring a calibrated approach that supports both farm productivity and worker protection.

Technology, the statement noted, is envisaged as a facilitative tool rather than an obstacle. Sections 23 and 24 mandate technology-enabled transparency measures such as biometric authentication, geo-tagging and real-time dashboards, while Section 20 reinforces social audits conducted by Gram Sabhas to ensure community participation, transparency and inclusion.

The Act also does away with earlier dis-entitlement provisions and reinstates unemployment allowance as a substantive statutory protection. If employment is not provided within the prescribed timeframe, the allowance becomes payable after 15 days, the statement said.