The Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G) is a central Act and scheme that guarantees wage employment in rural areas. Its origin lies in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA), which was enacted to address rural unemployment and poverty and was assented to on September 5, 2005. The original NREGA bill was introduced by Minister for Rural Development Raghuvansh Prasad Singh.
The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 came into force on July 1, 2026, replacing the MGNREGA Act, 2005. The core mechanism is the guarantee of at least 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Work must be provided within 15 days of demand, or the applicant is entitled to an unemployment allowance. The registration process involves an application to the Gram Panchayat and the issuance of job cards.
The Act is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme that connects to the broader concept of the 'right to work'. The most significant recent change is the increase in the guaranteed employment from 100 days under MGNREGA to 125 days. Furthermore, the funding structure was amended: under MGNREGA, the Centre bore the full cost of unskilled wages, but under VB-G RAM G, the ratio for most states shifted to a 60:40 Centre-State share. A new provision allows states to notify an aggregate period of up to 60 days during peak agricultural seasons when works under the programme may be paused.