VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 : In Force From 1st July
The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G) came into force across rural India on 1st July 2026, replacing the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).
- The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 replaces MGNREGA with a restructured rural employment framework that expands guaranteed employment to 125 days, promotes durable rural infrastructure, climate resilience, digital governance, and Gram Panchayat-led planning aligned with Viksit Bharat @2047.
- While the Act modernises rural employment, it has raised concerns over the six-fold increase in states’ financial burden, dilution of the demand-driven right to work, centralisation of governance, digital exclusion, and unresolved MGNREGA dues, highlighting the need for stronger cooperative federalism and implementation safeguards.
- The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 provides a statutory guarantee of wage employment to eligible rural households.
- It aims to strengthen village economies, generate sustainable livelihoods, and align rural development with the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
- India’s rural employment initiatives evolved from the Rural Manpower Programme (1960s) and Crash Scheme for Rural Employment (1971) to Jawahar Rozgar Yojana (1993), and Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana (1999).
- Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 first introduced the statutory right to work, laying the foundation for MGNREGA, 2005, which provided a nationwide legal guarantee for rural employment.
- The Act places Gram Panchayats at the center of rural transformation, emphasizing durable asset creation, natural resource management, water conservation, and women’s empowerment through Self Help Groups (SHGs).
