President approves ‘G Ram G Bill’, rural employment guarantee extended to 125 days

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu) - President Draupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the 'Developed India - Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Mission (Rural): VB-G Ramji Bill, 2025'.

With the President's assent, the bill has become law, replacing the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new law is fully aligned with the central government's vision of a "Developed India 2047" and seeks to make employment in rural India more productive, sustainable, and linked to infrastructure creation.

The key feature of the new Act is the statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per financial year for rural families, 25 days more than the 100 days provided under MNREGA. The government claims this will strengthen the income security of rural families and enable them to contribute significantly to national development.

While the government called it a historic step for rural India, the opposition has accused it of removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from MNREGA and putting additional financial burden on the states.

The bill mandates weekly wage payments, or a maximum of 15 days, with compensation for delays. States are provided with a 60-day break period to account for the agricultural season, ensuring workers are available for sowing and harvesting. The work will be allocated across four key areas: water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and weather resilience.

The financial structure will be a 60:40 center-state partnership, while for the northeastern and Himalayan states, the sharing will be 90:10. The administrative expenditure limit has been raised from 6 percent to 9 percent. The government claims that this law will move rural employment beyond welfare and make it a vehicle for long-term development.

The bill was passed in the winter session of Parliament amid strong opposition from the opposition. Congress and other opposition parties called it an attack on the rights of the rural poor. However, the government clarified that the right to employment has been strengthened and the focus on asset creation will boost the rural economy.