President Murmu approves VB-G RAM G Bill on December 21, 2025, replacing MGNREGA effective immediately.
Raises rural wage employment entitlement to 125 days per household annually, with focus on productive assets and convergence.
Passed amid protests; opposition decries erasure of Gandhi's legacy, while government highlights alignment with Viksit Bharat 2047 goals.
President Murmu Gives Assent To VB-G RAM G Bill
New law boosts rural job guarantee to 125 days, focuses on asset creation and decentralised planning amid opposition protests over Gandhi's legacy
Summary
President Droupadi Murmu granted assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, on December 21, 2025, formally enacting it into law and replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) of 2005. The Ministry of Rural Development announced the development, describing it as a milestone in aligning rural employment with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.
The new Act enhances the statutory guarantee of wage employment from 100 to 125 days per financial year for rural households volunteering for unskilled manual work. It emphasizes creating durable assets, convergence with other schemes, saturation-based infrastructure delivery, and technology-enabled transparency through biometric authentication, geo-tagging, and real-time monitoring. Planning remains decentralised, with works originating from Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans approved by Gram Sabhas.
The bill passed Parliament during the winter session amid strong opposition protests, with critics accusing the government of diluting rights-based guarantees, removing Mahatma Gandhi's name, and shifting financial burdens to states. The government maintains the reforms modernise governance, strengthen unemployment allowances, raise administrative expenditure caps to 9%, and promote inclusive, resilient rural growth.
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