VB-G RAM G Bill 2025 marks a significant shift in India’s rural employment policy by replacing the longstanding MGNREGA with a more structured 125-day job guarantee for every rural household. Officially titled “Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025,” it aligns rural jobs with the national Viksit Bharat 2047 vision, emphasizing durable assets over short-term relief. Households gain a legal right to 125 days of unskilled manual work annually, provided adults are willing, with states required to provide jobs within 15 days or pay unemployment allowances.
Unlike MGNREGA’s near-total Central funding for wages, the new bill introduces a cost-sharing model to promote state accountability. Most states will split expenses 60:40 (Centre:State), with 90:10 ratios for North-Eastern and Himalayan regions, and full Central coverage for Union Territories without legislatures. States can now pause employment guarantees for up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons, ensuring farm labor availability while prioritizing projects in water security, rural infrastructure like roads and markets, livelihood assets, and climate-resilient works.
Funding shifts from MGNREGA’s demand-driven approach to normative allocations based on population and poverty data, feeding into a national “Viksit Bharat Rural Infrastructure Stack” for better planning. Digital enhancements promise wage payments within seven days, alongside rigorous social audits to minimize leakages, with priority for women, SC/ST groups, and persons with disabilities.
Proponents argue this overhaul creates lasting rural assets and boosts transparency, addressing MGNREGA’s inefficiencies after two decades. Critics, however, contend it burdens states financially, potentially weakening the safety net for the poorest if implementation falters, and call for parliamentary committee scrutiny. As debates intensify in Parliament, the bill’s passage could redefine rural livelihoods across India.
