For nearly 20 years, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has shaped how rural employment support works in India — offering wage work close to home, creating village-level assets, and providing income during lean agricultural seasons. 

Over time, it has become one of the country’s most wide-reaching public programmes, touching millions of households across states and regions.

Now, the government is proposing a new framework — the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, commonly referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill — which aims to replace MGNREGA with a broader mission linking rural employment to livelihoods, infrastructure creation, and long-term development goals under the vision of a Viksit Bharat 2047.

The proposal marks a shift in how rural work is imagined: from a standalone employment guarantee to a model that integrates jobs with local development priorities. Supporters say this could help build durable assets and strengthen rural economies. Critics, meanwhile, are closely examining what this change could mean for workers, states, and........

© The Better India