Why in the News
After replacing MGNREGS on 1 July 2026, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-GRAM G] recorded nearly a 50% year-on-year decline in rural employment generated during its first month.
What is VB-GRAM G?
- New framework: Replaced MGNREGS from 1 July 2026.
- Employment guarantee: Increased from 100 to 125 days per rural household.
- Digital monitoring: Retains face-authentication-based attendance.
Why did employment fall?
- Transition friction: Migration of registrations, job cards and payment systems disrupted work allocation.
- Sowing season: Provision for pausing employment demand during peak agricultural operations reduced July person-days.
- Comparability issue: Comparing July 2026 with July 2025 may exaggerate the decline because the institutional framework has changed.
- Implementation lag: Initial administrative bottlenecks may have temporarily reduced employment generation.
MGNREGS: Back to Basics
- Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development.
- Legal basis: MGNREGA, 2005.
- Guarantee: At least 100 days of wage employment per rural household.
- Nature: Demand-driven, rights-based employment programme.
- Eligibility: Rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.
[2011] Among the following who are eligible to benefit from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act?
(a) Adult members of only the scheduled caste and scheduled tribe households
(b) Adult members of below poverty line (BPL) households
(c) Adult members of households of all backward communities
(d) Adult members of any household.