The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, that seeks to replace the existing rural employment law MGNREGA, was introduced in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday amid strong objections by the opposition to the “removal” of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from it.
Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, while introducing the bill, said the government not only believes in Mahatma Gandhi but also follows his principles. “The (Narendra) Modi govt has done more for rural development than previous governments,” he said.
Proposed new legislation faced strong opposition and objections on many fronts by the members of Opposition at the introduction stage who pressed for sending the bill to a parliamentary panel for greater scrutiny. The MPs, including Priyanka Gandhi of the Congress, strongly objected to the “removal” of Mahatma Gandhi’s name.
The opposition members also came to the Well of the House, holding up photographs of Mahatma Gandhi, expressing their disapproval of the “removal” of the name of the Father of the Nation.The Bill will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work.
Within six months from the date of commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act, states will have to make a scheme consistent with the provisions of the new law.In a statement, the Rural Development Ministry said the proposed legislation will establish a modern statutory framework aligned with the goal of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.
It said the Bill aims to create both employment and durable rural infrastructure through four priority verticals — water security through water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events.
All assets created are aggregated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack, ensuring a unified, coordinated national development strategy, the statement said.The ministry termed it a “major upgrade” over MGNREGA, fixing structural weaknesses while enhancing employment, transparency, planning, and accountability.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra attacked the government over its bill to replace MGNREGA, saying that it stands to "weaken" the original Act's guaranteed 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor. The Congress general secretary also said she does not understand the Modi government's "obsession" with renaming schemes."Firstly, the process of renaming schemes costs a lot of money to the country, so I don't understand why they are doing it," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters in the Parliament House complex.
Second, MGNREGA guaranteed 100 days of employment to the poorest of the poor, but the new bill will weaken this right under MGNREGA, she said.
The government has added two or three things to the bill that superficially suggest an increase in the number of working days. "But has the wage rate been increased?" She asked."For so many years, you (government) have been reducing funds for MGNREGA, wherever one goes, labourers will say money has not come," Priyanka Gandhi said.The Congress has strongly objected to the bill that seeks to replace MGNREGA. It said erasing Mahatma Gandhi's name shows how "hollow and hypocritical" Prime Minister Narendra Modi's gestures of paying homage to the Father of the Nation are.
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