Punjab govt rolls out VB-G RAM G to strengthen rural employment guarantee
The Minister said that while MGNREGA remained operational till June 30, 2026, the VB G RAM G scheme came into effect from July 1.
The Minister said that while MGNREGA remained operational till June 30, 2026, the VB G RAM G scheme came into effect from July 1.
A major change in the rural employment system has come into effect across Uttar Pradesh and the rest of the country with the Government of India officially replacing the MGNREGA with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) Act.
The Jharkhand government urged the Centre to release around Rs 900 crore pending under the material component of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and raise the daily wage rate for workers to Rs 433, flagging the impact of delayed payments and rising rural distress.
The Congress on Monday intensified its attack on the Centre over the proposed rollout of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, accusing the Narendra Modi government of attempting to centralise authority and dilute the legal protections available to rural workers under MGNREGA.
Jharkhand on Saturday raised concerns over pending MGNREGA dues, low wage rates and the proposed funding pattern under the Centre’s new rural scheme during a virtual meeting chaired by Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan.
The protest was held during the single-day special session of the Assembly convened on the occasion of completion of 70 years of the Legislative Assembly’s first session.
Flagging the issue of pending MGNREGA dues in West Bengal, Banerjee asked the saffron party what it wants to achieve by merely changing the name of the scheme.
Tharoor said that the proposal requiring states to bear 40 per cent of wages would eventually lead to an increase in unemployment.
MGNREGA was initially enacted as NREGA in 2005, with its intellectual and policy roots in the earlier efforts of the 1990s.
The party also plans to run a village-level campaign to defend Gandhi’s legacy.
