New Delhi, December 18, 2025 – In a session marked by high drama and fierce opposition protests, the Lok Sabha on Thursday passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 – commonly referred to as the VB-G RAM G Bill – which seeks to repeal and replace the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The vote, conducted by voice, came after an eight-hour debate that saw opposition MPs storm into the well of the House, tear copies of the bill, and hurl them toward the Speaker's chair amid resounding slogans against the government.
The VB-G RAM G Bill, tabled earlier this week, promises a statutory guarantee of up to 125 days of unskilled wage employment per rural household annually – an increase from the 100 days under MGNREGA – while aligning the scheme with the government's "Viksit Bharat 2047" vision for a developed India. Proponents, led by Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, argued that the overhaul is essential to "fix" a 20-year-old program plagued by inefficiencies, corruption, and outdated provisions. "This is not the end of rural employment; it's an upgrade for self-reliant villages in line with Mahatma Gandhi's Gram Swaraj ideals," Chouhan stated during his rebuttal, countering accusations that the renaming disrespects the Father of the Nation.
Opposition leaders, however, decried the move as a "dilution" of a vital welfare lifeline that has provided livelihoods to millions in rural India since its enactment in 2005 under the UPA government. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, among those protesting, accused the BJP of "insulting Gandhi's legacy" by stripping his name from the act and shifting it from a legally enforceable right to a "centrally sponsored scheme" that could burden poorer states with implementation costs. DMK's T.R. Baalu and Samajwadi Party's Dharmendra Yadav joined the fray, raising placards and chanting "Save MGNREGA" as the House descended into chaos. The protests forced multiple adjournments, with Speaker Om Birla repeatedly urging restraint before pushing the bill through.
Under the new framework, states will have six months to align their plans with central guidelines, and the scheme will incorporate skill development, women's self-help groups, and digital monitoring to enhance transparency. Government data highlights that only about 7% of eligible households received the full 100 days of work in recent years, a figure that spiked during the COVID-19 pandemic but has since declined. Critics, including voices in editorials, warn that the changes centralize control at the Union level, potentially delaying wage payments and eroding the decentralized ethos of the original act.
The bill's passage in the Lok Sabha – where the NDA holds a majority – sets the stage for its introduction in the Rajya Sabha, where opposition numbers are stronger. With the winter session ongoing, analysts anticipate further fireworks, especially as rural distress remains a flashpoint ahead of state elections. For now, the government's push signals a broader reform agenda, but at the cost of reigniting partisan divides in Parliament.
(Reporting by TCO News Desk; Additional reporting from PTI and Economic Times sources)
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