The Union government has unveiled a major overhaul of the national rural employment guarantee programme, proposing to remove Mahatma Gandhi’s name and replace the existing framework with a new law titled the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Grameen) Bill, 2025. The Bill, which promises 125 days of guaranteed employment, is scheduled to be introduced in the Lok Sabha today, setting off a heated political debate.
The proposed legislation—popularly referred to as the VB-G RAM-G Bill, 2025—is being pitched as a key step towards achieving the government’s long-term vision of “Viksit Bharat 2047.” However, the decision to drop Mahatma Gandhi’s name has drawn strong criticism from the Congress, which accused the Centre of prioritising rebranding over meaningful reform.
The Congress questioned why Mahatma Gandhi’s name was removed from a scheme that has been in place for nearly two decades, alleging that the government is effectively dismantling the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. As part of the legislative exercise, the Centre is introducing two separate Bills in Parliament—one to formally withdraw the existing scheme and another to implement the new VB-G RAM-G framework.
Defending the move, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the new Bill aims to further strengthen rural India and enhance livelihood security. He acknowledged that the earlier employment guarantee programme had, over the past 20 years, provided assured wage employment to rural households and contributed to significant socio-economic transformation.
According to the government, the new law seeks to build a more prosperous, resilient, and self-reliant rural India, with a strong focus on irrigation, rural infrastructure, livelihood assets, and climate resilience. The Bill also aims to ensure adequate availability of labour during agricultural seasons, reinforcing rural economic stability.
