New Delhi: The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) on Saturday reviewed preparedness of states and Union territories for the rollout of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G), which will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) from July 1, officials aware of the developments said.
The new law raises the statutory guarantee of wage employment for rural households from 100 days to 125 days in a financial year. Unlike MGNREGS, which was demand-driven, the new framework provides for state-wise normative allocations fixed annually by the Centre.
The high-level meeting, chaired by MoRD secretary Rohit Kansal, was attended by senior ministry officials and representatives of states and UTs, the officials said.
Kansal reviewed key preparatory measures, including notification of state-specific VB-GRAM G schemes, framing of state rules under the Act, technical integration for DBT-SPARSH and SNA-SPARSH payment systems, and preparation of works through the Yuktdhara portal approved by Gram Sabhas through participatory planning.
To ensure continuity during the transition, the ministry sanctioned ₹26,971 crore under MGNREGS towards wage, material, administrative and social audit components.
An adequate labour budget for June 2026, covering more than 45 crore persondays, has also been approved for all states and UTs based on projected demand.
{{/usCountry}}An adequate labour budget for June 2026, covering more than 45 crore persondays, has also been approved for all states and UTs based on projected demand.
{{/usCountry}}The ministry informed states that eight sets of draft rules under the VB-GRAM G Act, 2025 were published in the e-Gazette on May 22 for a 30-day public consultation before finalisation.
These include rules related to grievance redressal, payment of wages and unemployment allowance, administrative expenses and transitional provisions.
An indicative framework for categorising gram panchayats into A, B and C tiers has also been shared with states to aid planning.
Kansal said, “ongoing MGNREGS works as of June 30 would be carried forward under the VB-GRAM G framework”, ensuring that rural employment works continue without disruption during the agricultural lean season.
States were also advised to honour genuine employment demand and clear pending liabilities under MGNREGS before the July 1 rollout of the new scheme.