The PRS Legislative Research on December 15, 2025 released a detailed analysis of the Viksit Bharat Gramin Rozgar aur Awaas Maha Abhiyan Guarantee (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, which proposes replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with an enhanced rural employment framework. The Bill was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16, 2025.

The VB-G RAM G Bill increases the employment guarantee from 100 days under MGNREGA to 125 days per household per year. A key structural change is the modification of the Centre-State cost sharing ratio: while MGNREGA was funded almost entirely by the Centre, the new Bill mandates a 60:40 split, with 60% borne by the Centre and 40% by the State governments. Critics argue this shifts a significant burden to fiscally stressed states.

The Bill introduces AI-based fraud detection mechanisms to curb ghost beneficiaries and wage theft, which have been persistent problems in MGNREGA implementation. All payments are linked to Aadhaar to ensure direct benefit transfer. The PRS analysis also flags a significant structural concern: the new law removes the demand-driven nature of MGNREGA. Under MGNREGA, any eligible worker could demand work and the government was legally obligated to provide it within 15 days or pay an unemployment allowance. The VB-G RAM G Bill makes employment provision subject to state government discretion and planning, potentially weakening the rights-based character of the scheme.

Rajasthan has historically recorded the highest MGNREGA employment generation in the country, making this policy shift particularly significant for the state. Thousands of rural households in arid and semi-arid districts such as Barmer, Jaisalmer, Nagaur, and Churu depend on MGNREGA wages as their primary source of income during lean agricultural seasons.