Key Terms & Concepts — UPSC Mains
VB-GRAM-G
"Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin — the scheme that replaced MGNREGA in December 2025"
VB-GRAM-G (Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin) is the restructured rural employment guarantee scheme that replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) effective December 2025. While retaining the legal guarantee of rural employment, VB-GRAM-G expanded the entitlement from 100 to 125 days per household per year. The scheme shifted from a demand-driven to a supply-constrained model, meaning the government pre-plans works and allocates budgets upfront rather than responding to on-demand work requests. The funding pattern was changed to 60:40 Centre-to-State ratio (from the earlier near-100% Central funding for wages). VB-GRAM-G emphasises durable asset creation — farm ponds, rural roads, watershed structures — over pure wage employment, aligning rural works with district-level development plans.
Critical for UPSC GS-2 (Governance, Social Justice) and GS-3 (Economy — rural employment, inclusive growth). The transition from MGNREGA to VB-GRAM-G is a landmark policy shift that tests understanding of demand-driven vs supply-constrained models, fiscal federalism (changed funding ratio), and the right-to-work debate. Expect questions comparing the two schemes, analysing the implications of the 60:40 funding shift on state finances, and evaluating whether supply-constrained design undermines the employment guarantee.
- 1 Full form — Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin
- 2 Replaced MGNREGA effective December 2025
- 3 Expanded guarantee from 100 to 125 days per household per year
- 4 Funding ratio changed to 60:40 (Centre:State) from near-100% Central funding for wages
- 5 Shifted from demand-driven to supply-constrained model
- 6 Emphasises durable asset creation (farm ponds, rural roads, watershed works)
- 7 Ministry of Rural Development remains the nodal ministry