The Union government is preparing to introduce a major new rural employment law in Parliament during the ongoing Winter Session, which aims to replace the nearly 20-year-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with an updated legislative framework titled the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 commonly known as VB-G RAM G. Officials and government sources say the move is aimed at modernising the rural jobs system, improving implementation, and broadening the focus from wage employment alone to encompass overall rural economic support.
The proposed law represents a significant shift in India’s rural employment policy. MGNREGA, which was enacted in 2005, guarantees rural households at least 100 days of wage employment per year for unskilled manual work. The new Bill aims to increase the number of guaranteed employment days and introduce structural reforms, including changes in how funding is allocated and how the scheme functions at the state level.
According to government statements made ahead of the Bill’s introduction, the VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025, has several differences from the current MGNREGA framework:
Increase in Guaranteed Days: The new law is expected to increase the minimum days of employment available to rural households from 100 to 125 days each year.
Normative Funding: Sources say the scheme will move from a strictly demand-based model, where work was provided when rural households applied, to...
This Alert provides a summary and takeaways from the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) recent announcement of False Claims Act (FCA) recoveries for Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. FY 2025 saw record-breakin...