Why in News
Ahead of the July 1, 2026 commencement of the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Act), the Department of Rural Development has notified an interim list of 318 permissible works. On that date, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) stands repealed, and India’s flagship rural wage-employment framework is recast around climate resilience and asset creation.
The Notification: 318 Permissible Works
The Department of Rural Development has circulated an interim list of 318 permissible works to facilitate the operationalisation of the VB-G RAM G Act from July 1, 2026. The 318 works span:
- Natural resource management (watershed, afforestation, land development)
- Irrigation (canals, micro-irrigation, water harvesting structures)
- Rural connectivity (all-weather roads, culverts, bridges)
- Community infrastructure (anganwadi buildings, panchayat assets, sanitation)
- Livelihood assets (agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, storage, markets)
- Climate resilience and disaster preparedness (embankments, flood-management structures, forest-fire control)
The interim list has been circulated to States for feedback, with States invited to recommend further works for possible inclusion under Schedule I of the Act, based on local developmental needs.
What is the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025
The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 is the new statutory framework for rural wage employment, aligned to the vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. It replaces MGNREGA, 2005, and adopts a “Single Plan - Multi Funding” approach, allowing different schemes to converge towards common development outcomes while retaining their own mandates and funding.
100 Days vs 125 Days
The most visible change is the expansion of the statutory guarantee:
| Parameter | MGNREGA, 2005 | VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Guaranteed wage employment | 100 days per rural household / FY | 125 days per rural household / FY |
| Orientation | Demand-driven safety net | Asset creation + climate resilience |
| Job card | MGNREGA job card | Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card (e-KYC verified cards remain valid till new ones issued) |
The guarantee rises from 100 to 125 days per rural household per financial year, with wage employment linked directly to village infrastructure, water security and livelihood creation.
The Four Thematic Focus Areas
The 318 works are organised under four thematic focus areas:
| # | Thematic Focus Area | Illustrative Works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Water Security | Water harvesting, irrigation, watershed development, rejuvenation of water bodies |
| 2 | Core Rural Infrastructure | Rural roads, connectivity, community buildings, panchayat assets |
| 3 | Rural Livelihoods | Productive assets for agriculture, animal husbandry, fisheries, storage, markets, skilling |
| 4 | Special Works for Mitigation of Extreme Weather Events | Embankments, flood-management structures, shelters, forest-fire control, climate-resilient assets |
What MGNREGA Was: The Framework Being Repealed
MGNREGA, enacted in 2005 and operational from 2006, was a landmark rights-based law. Its defining features were:
- Justiciable legal guarantee of 100 days of unskilled manual wage employment per rural household per year.
- Demand-driven design: work provided on demand within 15 days, failing which an unemployment allowance was payable.
- 15-day wage-payment rule: wages to be paid within 15 days of work, with compensation for delay.
- Social audits by the Gram Sabha as a statutory accountability mechanism.
- Strong women’s participation: women accounted for roughly 55% of person-days generated, well above the one-third statutory minimum.
Continuity vs Change
The transition is designed for continuity. Ongoing works as on June 30, 2026 may continue under VB-G RAM G provisions and will be prioritised for completion. e-KYC verified MGNREGA job cards remain valid until new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards are issued. The substantive change is the reorientation from a pure demand-driven safety net towards planned, convergence-led asset creation with an explicit climate-resilience focus.
Analysis and Way Forward
The recast carries genuine merit. Embedding extreme-weather mitigation as a dedicated thematic area institutionalises climate resilience into rural employment, the 125-day ceiling enlarges the safety net, and the convergence model can reduce the fragmentation that long plagued rural spending. Linking wages to durable, productive assets responds to a recurring critique that demand-driven works sometimes produced low-value outcomes.
The concerns, however, are structural and must be addressed:
- Preserving the justiciable guarantee. MGNREGA’s power lay in being a legally enforceable right. The new framework must ensure the 125-day guarantee remains justiciable, not a target subject to administrative discretion or fund availability.
- Social audits. The Gram Sabha social audit was a rare, working accountability tool. Its statutory continuity, independence and funding must be protected.
- Wage-payment timelines. The 15-day payment rule and delay-compensation are central to worker trust. Any dilution risks reviving the wage-arrears problem.
- Women’s participation. With women at ~55% of person-days under MGNREGA, the new work-mix and asset orientation must not inadvertently reduce the share of works accessible to women workers.
Way forward: retain the demand-driven, rights-based core; codify social audit and the 15-day wage rule in subordinate rules; ensure transparent, real-time MIS continuity; and finalise Schedule I with adequate State consultation so local needs and women-friendly works are protected.
UPSC Relevance
- GS Paper 2 (Welfare Schemes / Governance): rights-based welfare, justiciability of statutory guarantees, social audit as an accountability mechanism, Centre-State convergence.
- GS Paper 3 (Rural Economy / Employment): rural wage employment, asset creation, climate-resilient infrastructure, “Single Plan - Multi Funding” convergence model.
- Mains angle: “Evaluate the shift from a demand-driven employment guarantee (MGNREGA) to an asset- and climate-oriented framework (VB-G RAM G). Does it strengthen or dilute the rights-based architecture of rural welfare?”
- Prelims angle: year of enactment, commencement date, guaranteed days, four thematic areas, repeal of MGNREGA 2005.
Facts Corner
📌 Facts Corner, Knowledgepedia
- Full name: Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G Act).
- Commencement: July 1, 2026, across all rural areas of India.
- Repeals: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA).
- Guaranteed employment: 125 days per rural household per financial year (up from 100 days).
- Permissible works: interim list of 318 works notified by the Department of Rural Development.
- Four thematic focus areas: Water Security; Core Rural Infrastructure; Rural Livelihoods; Special Works for Mitigation of Extreme Weather Events.
- Approach: “Single Plan - Multi Funding” convergence model, aligned to Viksit Bharat @2047.
- Nodal: Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development.
Sources: Ministry of Rural Development, Press Information Bureau, The Hindu
Source: VB-G RAM G Act: 318 Works Notified as MGNREGA Makes Way — Ujiyari.com | Free UPSC & State PCS Current Affairs
