Centre To Introduce Bill To Replace MGNREGA With New Employment Guarantee Scheme 'VB
Centre To Introduce Bill To Replace MGNREGA With New Employment Guarantee Scheme 'VB G RAM G'
M.U.H
15/12/202519
New Delhi: In a move that is bound to trigger questions from the opposition, the Central Government is set to introduce a bill to repeal and replace the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The new Bill called 'The Viksit Bharat Guarantee For Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Grameen)' or 'VB G RAM G' is likely to be introduced in the Lok Sabha during the ongoing Winter Session and seeks to enhance rural employment through a new guarantee scheme.
Launched in 2005 by the then UPA government, the MGNREGA scheme guarantees 100 days of work in rural areas. The new Bill proposes to provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
The new Bill, according to the government, supports the "national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047". The Bill has been listed in the Lok Sabha's supplementary list of business issued on Monday, December 15.
Commenting on the new bill, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said MGNREGA has provided guaranteed wage employment to rural households for 20 years but further strengthening is needed due to major social and economic changes in rural areas, driven by expanded social security and government schemes.
While MGNREGA focused on the goal of "enhancing the livelihood security", the new bill introduces features such as empowerment, growth, convergence, and saturation.
As per the government, the bill emphasises public works that form the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack, aiming for more comprehensive rural development beyond wage employment.
"Distinctive to this bill are water security through water-related works, development of core rural infrastructure, creation of livelihood-related infrastructure, and special projects addressing extreme weather events as the main thematic areas. The bill also uniquely aims to ensure the availability of farm labour during peak agricultural seasons," the government said.
The bill states that supporting farm labour during peak agricultural seasons is essential. States may announce peak sowing and harvesting periods, during which work under the bill will be paused.
Focusing on convergence, the bill integrates Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans with PM Gati Shakti to address the needs of village panchayats.
A unique feature of the bill is the proposal for a comprehensive digital ecosystem, including biometric authentication, GPS- or mobile-based worksite monitoring, real-time dashboards, proactive disclosures, and AI for planning, audits, and fraud risk mitigation. These elements aim to modernise governance, ensure accountability, and enhance citizen engagement.
It will be a centrally sponsored scheme, and every state government will have to prepare a scheme to give effect to the guarantee proposed under this bill within six months of the Act's commencement.
The Centre allocates state funds using specific parameters. If spending exceeds the approved allocation, the state is responsible for the excess.
