Government likely to repeal MGNREGA, new bill replacing scheme to be tabled in Parliament
PTC News Desk: The government is likely to introduce a Bill in Parliament to repeal the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a new law titled the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).
While the proposed law increases the guaranteed number of workdays for rural households from 100 to 125 per year, it also requires higher financial contributions from state governments.
The draft Bill was circulated among Lok Sabha members on Monday and is intended to create a rural development framework aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047. Officially titled the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, the legislation seeks to repeal the MGNREGA Act of 2005.
Under the proposed law, every rural household with adult members willing to do unskilled manual work would be entitled to a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year. The Bill aims to promote empowerment, economic growth, convergence of schemes, and saturation of benefits to build a prosperous and resilient rural India.
The legislation also proposes the creation of a Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council. This body would be formed by the Centre and include a chairperson, representatives from the central and state governments, up to 15 non-official members representing Panchayati Raj institutions, workers’ organisations and weaker sections of society, along with a Member-Secretary of at least Joint Secretary rank in the Government of India.
- With inputs from agencies
