All it took was one newspaper article with hard facts to puncture the BJP government’s mythical narrative on its flagship Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) law.

The central government claims that the VB-G RAM G is an “enhanced” version of the now repealed Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). They claim an increase in the days of “guaranteed work”; universal roll-out across rural India; “highest ever” monetary allocation by the Centre, complemented by an additional 40 per cent allocation secured from the states. It would be natural to assume that workers are flocking to work sites to claim their full 125 days of work. The reality is quite the opposite.

An Indian Express report (‘In its first month, VB-G RAM G sees almost 50% y-o-y dip in rural jobs,’ August 10) reveals that in the first month of the implementation of VB-G RAM G, the government’s own statistics show a sharp decline in work being provided — almost 50 per cent less compared to the same period last year.

Ever since MGNREGA was repealed on December 19 and replaced with VB-G RAM G, the critical metric of employment generated per month has been closely watched. In a press conference held in June by NREGA Sangharsh Morcha, agricultural workers’ unions and labour-rights groups, department statistics were used to show that in a comparison of work provided from January to June 2026, with the same period in 2025, total person days fell from approximately 335.4 million to 215.2 million, a decline of 35.8%.. A similar decline can be seen when compared to the average of the previous three years.

When this decline was pointed out, the government asserted that all would be well once the new law was implemented from July 1. As evidenced by the Indian Express report, the month of July shows the person-days of employment provided have dropped even further, and almost breached the 50 per cent mark compared to the same period last year. The number of households reporting for work has also reduced by 50 per cent. This is in a country currently reeling from pervasive........

© Indian Express