New Delhi, December 21, 2025: The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act formally came into force on Saturday after President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent, two days after the Bill was passed by Parliament amid strong protests from Opposition parties.
With the President’s approval, the new law replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, bringing a sweeping change to India’s flagship rural employment framework. The Centre has described the move as a major milestone in reshaping rural employment and livelihood policies.
According to the government, the Act increases the statutory guarantee of wage employment to 125 days per financial year for rural households, compared to the 100 days provided under MGNREGA. Officials said the new framework seeks to align employment generation with broader development objectives, including empowerment, inclusive growth, convergence of welfare schemes and saturation-based delivery.
Senior officials have maintained that the legislation aims to strengthen rural livelihoods and create a more resilient and self-reliant “Rural Bharat” by modernising the two-decade-old employment guarantee architecture to meet current economic and social challenges.
However, the Act has triggered sharp political opposition. The Congress on Sunday said it would finalise plans for a nationwide mass movement against the new law at a meeting of the Congress Working Committee scheduled for December 27. The party has accused the Centre of undermining the rights-based nature of rural employment guarantees and pushing through the changes without adequate consultation with states, stakeholders and rural communities.
The Aam Aadmi Party-led Punjab government has also announced that it will convene a special session of the state Vidhan Sabha on December 30 to deliberate on the Act and its implications for rural employment and federal autonomy.
The VB-G RAM G Bill was passed by both Houses of Parliament earlier this week amid heated debates, walkouts and protests, with Opposition parties alleging that the Centre is dismantling a crucial social safety net for the rural poor.
