India Set to Introduce New Employment Guarantee Program Replacing MGNREGS

The Central Government is going to present a new Bill in the Parliament that would put an end to the current Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and replace it with a different employment guarantee program, The Indian Express has reported. The new bill, called the Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, will be presented in the Lok Sabha. If approved, this bill would take the place of the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The new bill will be named VB-G RAM G BILL. The Bill is part of the government’s long-term plan called Viksit Bharat@2047 , which aims to make India a developed country by the year 2047. Its main goal is to change and improve the current framework that provides guaranteed work in rural areas. In 2022, the Ministry of Rural Development set up a committee to review how well states were implementing the MNREGA and to look at issues with managing the scheme. The committee submitted its report last year. Although the law promises 100 days of work per household, in 2024-25 the average household received only about 50 days. The Indian Express reported that only 40.7 lakh households reached the full 100 days last year, and in the current financial year, just 6.74 lakh families have done so. Several states, including Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Rajasthan, have asked to raise the 100-day limit for workers. States can offer work beyond 100 days, but they must pay for it themselves, and only a few do. Out of the 290 crore person-days generated in 2024-25, only 4.35 crore came from state budgets. States that provided work using their own funds include Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Telangana. Separately, the government plans to introduce the Sustainable Harnessing and Advancement of Nuclear Energy for Transforming India Bill, 2025, in the Lok Sabha. In addition, the government plans to table another bill in the Lok Sabha focused on the safe and sustainable use of nuclear energy to support India’s development.