The term VB-G RAM-G stands for the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), which is an Indian social welfare Act. It is formally known as the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025. The Act was created to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, which had governed rural employment guarantees for two decades. The VB-G RAM-G Bill, 2025, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16, 2025, passed by both Houses of Parliament on December 18-19, 2025, and received the President's assent on December 21, 2025. The new legislation came into effect across rural India from July 1, 2026.
The core problem it solves is strengthening rural income security and linking employment with sustainable rural development, aligning the framework with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. The Act guarantees a statutory minimum of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work, which is a 25% increase over the 100 days guaranteed under MGNREGA. A key mechanism is the provision for a 60-day pause in the scheme during peak agricultural sowing and harvesting seasons to ensure the availability of farm labour.
The Act introduces a significant change in the funding architecture: the Centre and States now share financial responsibility for the wage bill in a 60:40 ratio for general states, unlike MGNREGA where the Centre paid 100% of the wage bill. For Himalayan and North-Eastern states, the ratio is 90:10. The scheme also shifts from a demand-driven labour budget to a centrally fixed "normative allocation," with any expenditure exceeding this limit to be borne entirely by the State Government. The works under VB-G RAM-G are prioritized to create durable assets related to water security, climate resilience, and livelihood infrastructure, moving beyond the earlier focus solely on wage work. The Act connects to the broader concept of Viksit Bharat @2047 and integrates with the PM GatiShakti Master Plan for asset consolidation.