Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB – G RAM G Act, 2025)

The Parliament has passed the historic Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Act, 2025. This Act is aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 and replaces the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

Need for the VB-G Ram G Act,2025:

This new legislation represents a major reform of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, aligning rural employment with the long-term vision of Viksit Bharat 2047 by addressing structural deficiencies while enhancing employment, transparency, and accountability.

Features:

• 125 Days of Guaranteed Employment: Through this bill, every rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual labor will be provided with 125 days of guaranteed employment in each financial year, so that a prosperous and strong rural India can be built by promoting empowerment, development, convergence, and completeness in rural India.
• 60-Day Break During the Agricultural Season: According to the bill, to ensure the availability of laborers during the sowing and harvesting seasons, work under the scheme will be suspended for a total of 60 days, ensuring that laborers have stable employment while also participating in agricultural activities. For this, state governments will have to make an advance announcement of the period of up to 60 days in the financial year. Laborers will continue to receive 125 days of guaranteed employment during the remaining 305 days, benefiting both farmers and laborers.
• Fund Sharing: This will be operated as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, under which:
  • The fund sharing ratio between the Central Government and State Governments will be 60:40 for all states (this ratio is 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan states).
  • The State and Central Governments will share wages, material costs, and administrative costs in the same ratio.
  • Provision for unemployment allowance.
  • The limit for administrative expenses has been increased from 6 percent to 9 percent, which will help in strengthening the implementation structure.
• Framework of Works: Employment generation is linked to infrastructure development through four thematic areas of work:
  1. Water Security through Water-Related Works: Water conservation structures, irrigation support, groundwater recharge, rejuvenation of water bodies, watershed area development, and afforestation – these water-related works will strengthen water security in rural areas.
  2. Core Rural Infrastructure Works: Essential civic, social, and service delivery assets such as rural roads, public buildings, school infrastructure, sanitation systems, renewable energy facilities, and housing works under Central Government schemes will strengthen basic amenities and improve access to services.
  3. Livelihood Infrastructure Works: Productive assets related to agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, storage, markets, skill development, and circular economy models will promote sustainable livelihoods, value addition, and diversified income opportunities in rural areas.
  4. Special Works for Climate Change Mitigation: Works such as shelter construction, embankment building, flood management structures, rehabilitation works, and forest fire control measures will help in building climate-resilient villages.All works identified under the scheme will be integrated with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan to ensure the creation of an integrated and future-ready rural infrastructure in line with the National Vision of Viksit Bharat.
• Implementation, Transparency and Monitoring: Transparency and accountability will be ensured through biometric authentication, spatial technology-based planning, mobile and dashboard-based monitoring, a weekly public disclosure system, and a robust social audit mechanism.
  The Central Rural Employment Guarantee Council and State Rural Employment Guarantee Councils will be constituted for the review, monitoring, and effective implementation of the provisions of the Act. In addition, steering committees will be constituted at the central and state levels.