Viksit Bharat Ji Ram Ji Scheme: A new rural employment scheme is being prepared to replace MNREGA. Changes can be expected in everything from the name to the number of working days, payment, and funding system.
Viksit Bharat Ji Ram Ji Scheme: The government is preparing to make a major change in the rural employment system. Significant changes are going to be made to the name and structure of MNREGA, the country's largest rural employment scheme. The central government is working on bringing in a new rural employment law to replace the existing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The government says that this change will be under the vision of Viksit Bharat 2047.
This will not only change the name of the scheme, but also the number of employment days, the method of payment after work, and the funding pattern. This is why the question of what will be new and different for millions of families living in villages in the new scheme replacing MNREGA is a topic of discussion. Know all the details.
Changes in working days along with the name
The new law that the government is going to introduce is named Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin Bill 2025. It is being called the VB G RAM G Bill in short. After the bill is passed, it will replace the existing MNREGA law. Earlier, there was talk of naming it Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Scheme.
But now the name Viksit Bharat Ji Ram Ji is being suggested. According to sources, the government is considering increasing the guaranteed employment days for rural families from 100 to 125 days in the new scheme. The government says that this will increase rural income and strengthen employment opportunities. The aim is not just to provide wages, but to provide more employment opportunities to the people.
The new scheme also talks about making the payment system easier and faster. While wages were paid within 15 days in MNREGA, the new bill proposes a weekly payment system. Under this scheme, wages will have to be paid every week or within a maximum of 15 days of the work being completed. If work is not provided within 15 days, there will also be a provision for unemployment allowance.
There could also be a major change in the funding system. Previously, the central government bore the entire cost of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA). However, in the new scheme, states will also have to contribute. In some states, the central government will contribute 90 percent and the state government 10 percent, while in other states, the central government will contribute 60 percent and the state government 40 percent. This will increase both the role and responsibility of the states in running the scheme.
# MGNREGA Overhaul: From Mahatma Gandhi to 'Viksit Bharat – Ji Ram Ji' – Key Changes Explained
**December 16, 2025**
The Indian government has introduced a controversial bill in Parliament to repeal the iconic Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and replace it with a new framework: the **Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025** – popularly abbreviated as **VB-G RAM G** and colloquially referred to as **Viksit Bharat – Ji Ram Ji**.
Introduced by Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan amid uproar in Lok Sabha, the move has sparked intense political debate, with the Opposition accusing the BJP of erasing Mahatma Gandhi's legacy while the government frames it as a modernisation aligned with the **Viksit Bharat 2047** vision.
### Why the Name Change and Repeal?
MGNREGA, enacted in 2005 under the UPA government, was a demand-driven, rights-based scheme guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment to rural households. The new bill acknowledges MGNREGA's contributions over 20 years but argues for an upgrade to address limitations like inefficiencies, leakages, and misalignment with long-term rural development goals.
The acronym **VB-G RAM G** (pronounced "Ji Ram Ji" in Hindi contexts) has drawn attention for evoking cultural resonance with "Ram Rajya," while removing "Mahatma Gandhi" from the title – a point fiercely criticised by Congress leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra as "hypocrisy" and an attempt to appropriate credit.
### Major Changes Under the New Scheme
The bill shifts from a pure safety net to a "development mission" focused on empowerment, infrastructure, and resilience. Here's a comparison:
| Aspect | MGNREGA (Old) | VB-G RAM G (New) |
|-------------------------|----------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------|
| **Guaranteed Days** | 100 days per household per year | **125 days** per household per year |
| **Focus** | Livelihood security via unskilled work| Empowerment, growth, convergence; thematic priorities like water security, rural infra, livelihoods, extreme weather mitigation |
| **Asset Creation** | Local works based on demand | Aggregated into **Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack** for national coordination |
| **Planning** | Demand-driven (job cards) | Advance spatial planning via **Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans** using GIS and PM Gati Shakti |
| **Funding** | Centrally funded (100% unskilled wages)| **Centrally sponsored** – increased state share |
| **Implementation** | Open-ended, entitlement-based | More structured; potential pause during peak farming seasons |
| **Payments** | Often delayed | Emphasis on faster (possibly weekly) wages |
| **Objective** | Distress relief | Aligned with Viksit Bharat 2047 for prosperous rural India |
Additional features include special provisions for extreme weather events and better integration with other schemes for "saturation" coverage.
### Political Backlash
- **Congress Reaction**: Leaders protested in Parliament holding Gandhi's photos, calling it a "BJP-RSS conspiracy" to undermine the poor's rights and Gandhi's name during RSS centenary year.
- **Priyanka Gandhi Vadra**: Led opposition, intervening in Lok Sabha and accusing the government of shrinking funds and centralising control.
- **Shashi Tharoor**: Called the controversy "unfortunate," noting Gandhi's ideals of Gram Swaraj and Ram Rajya aren't competing but complementary – while quoting a Bollywood song warning against misusing "Ram ka naam."
- Government defends it as an evolution, not erasure, praising MGNREGA's past role.
The bill is listed for discussion amid the ongoing Winter Session, with fierce debates expected.
As India aims for developed nation status by 2047, this overhaul could redefine rural employment – but at the cost of heated ideological battles over legacy and branding.
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