New Delhi, December 21, 2025 – President Droupadi Murmu has granted her assent to the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G) Bill, 2025, marking a significant shift in the rural employment landscape. The new legislation replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which has been in place for two decades.
The VB–G RAM G Bill aims to enhance the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households, an increase from MGNREGA's 100 days. The government asserts that the new bill will promote empowerment, inclusive growth, and the convergence of various development initiatives. It also focuses on linking jobs with durable asset creation, ensuring timely wage payments, and strengthening decentralized planning, transparency, and unemployment safeguards. Wages are expected to be paid weekly or within 15 days of work completion.
The passage of the VB–G RAM G Bill in Parliament was met with strong opposition. Opposition parties, including members of the Congress, TMC, and DMK, staged protests and walkouts, accusing the government of undermining Mahatma Gandhi's legacy and rushing the bill through without proper debate and scrutiny. Some opposition members held a 12-hour overnight protest in the Parliament building. They have also threatened to take to the streets nationwide.
Rahul Gandhi, Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, has been a vocal critic of the new legislation, calling it "anti-village" and "anti-state". In a post on X, he stated that the VB–G RAM G Bill dismantles the rights-based, demand-driven guarantee of MGNREGA and transforms it into a rationed scheme controlled from Delhi. He argued that MGNREGA provided rural workers with bargaining power, which the government seeks to break by capping work and creating more ways to deny it.
Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the bill, asserting that it is a necessary reform to improve rural livelihoods and address shortcomings in the old scheme. He accused the Congress of disrespecting Mahatma Gandhi's ideals and using his name for political gains, further alleging that MGNREGA was riddled with corruption during the UPA's rule. Chouhan stated that the bill will contribute to the comprehensive development of villages by enhancing accountability and transparency and empowering gram panchayats and sabhas.
The government aims for better accountability and income security in rural areas with this initiative, aligning it with the Viksit Bharat 2047 vision. The bill outlines provisions for demand-driven employment, time-bound work allocation, and wage payments through direct benefit transfer mechanisms. It also allows for a wider range of permissible works and provides flexibility to states in designing and implementing projects.
With the President's assent, the VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025 is now an act. The Act enhances the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days per financial year for rural households. The coming months will reveal the practical implications of this new framework on rural employment and its impact on the lives of millions of Indians.
