About VB-G RAM G Act, 2025
- Full Name: Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
- Replaces: MGNREGA, 2005.
- Nature: A statutory and demand-driven wage employment guarantee.
- Objective: To strengthen rural livelihoods while promoting the creation of durable and productive rural assets.
Key Features
1. Enhanced Employment Guarantee
- Provides 125 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year.
- Available to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
- Retains the demand-driven and statutory nature of the employment guarantee.
2. Agricultural Season Provision
- States may notify up to 60 days in a financial year as the peak agricultural season.
- The framework ensures that at least 25 days of employment are guaranteed outside this notified period.
3. Unemployment Allowance and Wage Protection
- If employment is not provided within the prescribed time, eligible workers are entitled to an unemployment allowance.
- Wages are to be paid weekly or within 15 days from the closure of the muster roll.
- Delayed wage payments attract compensation, as provided under the Act.
4. Funding Pattern
The scheme follows a Centre–State cost-sharing model:
- 60:40 – All other States and Union Territories with legislatures.
- 90:10 – North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and the UT of Jammu & Kashmir.
- The Central Government determines the State-wise normative allocation based on prescribed objective parameters.
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G Act
| Feature | MGNREGA, 2005 | VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 |
| Employment Guarantee | 100 days | 125 days |
| Nature | Statutory, demand-driven | Statutory, demand-driven |
| Beneficiaries | Rural households with adult members willing to do unskilled work | Same broad eligibility |
| Funding | Different funding responsibilities under the MGNREGA framework | 60:40; 90:10 for specified States/UT |
| Focus | Employment + rural asset creation | Employment + durable infrastructure and sustainable livelihoods |
| Planning Framework | Decentralised planning | Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans + PM Gati Shakti integration |
| Climate Focus | Included through permissible works | Explicit focus on extreme weather mitigation |
| Guaranteed Days | 100 | 125 |
Conclusion
The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 strengthens rural employment by combining 125 days of guaranteed work with a greater focus on durable infrastructure, water security and sustainable livelihoods.
| This concept has also been mentioned in the following article: MGNREGA: Supreme Court Calls It a “Good, Effective Scheme” |