Chandigarh, January 5 — Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Monday said that the Developed India–Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Mission (Rural) Act, 2025, also known as the GRG Act, has been introduced to ensure corruption-free rural employment. He stated that the new legislation strengthens rural livelihoods by providing more guaranteed workdays, higher wages, transparent payments, and the creation of sustainable assets.
Addressing a press conference in Chandigarh, the Chief Minister said the GRG Act corrects long-standing shortcomings and corruption issues associated with the earlier MGNREGA framework. He added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken another major step towards worker welfare and village development by launching the GRG scheme, which directly impacts millions of rural labourers, farmers, and working families across the country.
The Chief Minister said the objective of the new law is to support genuine workers who were neglected or misled under previous systems. The Act introduces real-time monitoring of projects and ensures transparency in wage payments. With an increase in guaranteed employment days, workers will now earn higher wages and contribute directly to nation-building instead of enriching corrupt contractors or middlemen.
Highlighting the need for reform, Saini said MGNREGA was launched nearly two decades ago and, over time, several issues emerged, including excessive use of machinery, inflated budgets, and duplication of already completed projects. He pointed out that India’s rural economy has undergone a fundamental transformation in the last 20 years, with rural poverty declining from over 25 percent in 2011–12 to below 5 percent today due to the Centre’s development-oriented policies.
He further noted that the rapid expansion of digital connectivity, banking services, direct benefit transfers, Aadhaar, and infrastructure in the last decade made it necessary to modernise outdated and flawed systems in the interest of both workers and the nation.
Under the new provisions, the employment guarantee has been increased from 100 to 125 days, which, according to the Chief Minister, will significantly enhance workers’ assured income. On average, an unskilled rural worker across India will earn over ₹7,000 more annually, while workers in Haryana, where wage rates are higher, will receive at least ₹10,000 additional income.
Saini said the scheme also mandates timely wage payments on a weekly basis, with a maximum permissible delay of 15 days, ensuring financial security and empowerment for workers. To support the initiative, the Centre has allocated ₹1,51,282 crore for the current year, surpassing last year’s record allocation of ₹88,000 crore. Of this, the central government’s contribution will exceed ₹95,000 crore, with assurances of further increases in the coming years.
The Chief Minister stated that in Haryana alone, more than 52 percent of the beneficiaries under the scheme this year belong to Scheduled Castes, while over 65 percent are women. He emphasised that unlike earlier practices where work was often shown on paper, employment is now being provided to actual workers.
He also said the scope of permissible works has been expanded. In addition to traditional activities, employment will now be generated through projects related to water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood resources, and climate-resilient assets. Village-level plans have been aligned with the PM Gati Shakti Master Plan to ensure that local development supports national growth objectives.
To curb corruption and exploitation, the GRG scheme incorporates biometric authentication, digital wage transfers, geo-tagging, and satellite imagery. Each asset created under the scheme will be geo-tagged and uploaded on ISRO’s Bhuvan portal to prevent fake or duplicate projects. Public disclosures, worker lists, and a multi-tier grievance redressal system with a seven-day resolution timeline have also been introduced to ensure accountability and swift action against irregularities.
The Chief Minister said that by focusing on water conservation, rural infrastructure, livelihood generation, and climate protection, the GRG Act will function as a genuine driver of development rather than a platform for corruption.
