New Delhi, Dec 15 (PTI) — The government is set to introduce a bill in the Lok Sabha to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a new rural employment law guaranteeing 125 days of wage work per year.
The proposed legislation, titled the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, has been listed in the supplementary list of business of the Lok Sabha on Monday.
According to the bill, the new framework seeks to align rural employment with the national vision of Viksit Bharat 2047, offering a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to each rural household whose adult members are willing to undertake unskilled manual work.
In the statement of objects and reasons, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said MGNREGA has ensured wage employment for rural households for nearly two decades, but further strengthening is required due to major socio-economic changes in rural India driven by the expansion of social security schemes and saturation-based governance.
While MGNREGA focused on livelihood security, the new bill aims to promote empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation through public works that will contribute to creating a Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. Its thematic focus includes water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-linked assets and special works to mitigate extreme weather events.
The bill also addresses farm labour availability, particularly during peak agricultural seasons. It empowers states to notify specific periods—such as sowing and harvesting seasons—during which works under the scheme may be temporarily suspended to ensure adequate labour for agriculture.
To strengthen planning and implementation, the bill proposes integrating Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans with PM Gati Shakti. A comprehensive digital ecosystem is envisaged, including biometric authentication, GPS or mobile-based worksite monitoring, real-time dashboards, proactive disclosures and the use of artificial intelligence for planning, audits and fraud risk mitigation.
The scheme will be centrally sponsored, with states required to frame their own implementation plans within six months of the Act coming into force. Central allocations will be made based on prescribed parameters, while any expenditure beyond the approved allocation will be borne by the respective state governments.
MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, currently guarantees 100 days of wage employment annually to rural households. The Winter Session of Parliament began on December 1 and will conclude on December 19.
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