The central government has introduced a Bill to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) ” the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025. Instead of merely changing the framework, the Bill should have focused on increasing the daily wage to Rs 1,000 and ensuring 365 days of work. What people truly need is regular employment and assured daily income.
For the common citizen, the difference between MGNREGA and VB-G RAM G -- however significant it may be in scope or intent -- will hardly be visible. More importantly, the Bill removes MGNREGA’s core feature: the legal right to demand work.
Although the Bill claims to guarantee 125 days of wage employment per financial year to rural households, this falls far short of the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. Regardless of the name or structure of the scheme, what India needs is year-round employment to meet daily survival needs.
