NEW DELHI, Dec 16— The Centre on Tuesday described its proposed rural employment law as a major overhaul of the existing MGNREGA framework, saying it would strengthen transparency, planning and accountability while expanding livelihood opportunities in villages.
Introducing the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the legislation was aligned with the government’s long-term vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047.”
In a statement later, the Rural Development Ministry said the bill would establish a modern statutory framework aimed at creating employment along with durable rural assets. “It addresses structural gaps in the current system while enhancing employment outcomes and accountability,” the ministry said.
Under the proposed law, every rural household would be entitled to a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment each year. States will be required to notify schemes consistent with the new Act within six months of its rollout.
The ministry said the programme would focus on four priority areas: water security through water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-linked infrastructure, and special works to mitigate the impact of extreme weather events.
All assets created under the scheme will be mapped to a Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack to ensure coordinated planning at the national level, the statement said.
The bill’s introduction, however, was disrupted by opposition protests, with several MPs opposing the move to replace MGNREGA and pressing for the legislation to be referred to a parliamentary committee for further examination.
