Centre asks States to hold special gram sabhas for awareness on VB-G RAM G

The Union government has written to the Chief Secretaries of all States and Union Territories, asking them to organise special gram sabha meetings to “create widespread awareness regarding key provisions and legal rights” under the newly-enacted Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgaar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025.

The new jobs guarantee scheme, hailed by the Union government as a “historic” piece of legislation “aligned with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @ 2047”, was introduced and passed in Parliament during this Winter Session, replacing the 20-year-old MGNREGA amidst protests and objections from across Opposition parties, scholars, and activists.

On December 21, the Secretaries of the Department of Rural Development and the Ministry of Panchayati Raj jointly signed a letter to all Chief Secretaries of States and Union Territories, asking them to hold special gram sabha meetings by December 26, document the proceedings, and upload them in real-time with timestamped and geotagged photos and videos on the Panchayat Nirnay app.

The government went on to say that the Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj will “closely monitor the progress” of this effort, adding that this would ensure “effective dissemination of information and smooth transition to the new statutory framework”.

The letter from the Centre argued that the VB-G RAM G Act “aims to further strengthen rural employment, livelihood diversification, and socio-economic empowerment through a rights-based framework backed by guaranteed access to wage employment and sustainable livelihood opportunities”. The Centre further urged the States and Union Territories to ensure the “active participation” of villagers, workers, women, Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe households, and vulnerable groups.

The Bill was introduced and passed in Parliament this month, and was assented to by President Droupadi Murmu last week.

The Union government argued for the VB-G RAM G Bill in Parliament, citing deficiencies with the MGNREGA scheme, including corruption and the alleged misuse of funds by State governments. Under this new law, allocations are set to be capped within a fixed budget, which will be decided by the Union government. The “parameters” on which this will be decided have not been specified so far. Further, it provides for employment to be given only in the rural areas that the Centre notifies.

It increases the number of workdays guaranteed from 100 to 125, but it has also changed the funding pattern, raising the financial burden on States to 40% from 10% under the erstwhile MGNREGA system.

On Tuesday (December 23, 2025), the Left-affiliated All India Agricultural Workers Union (AIAWU) issued a statement, asking all its units and activists to actively participate in the special gram sabhas being called across the country and “openly reject” the new Act, adding that the AIAWU also intends to submit formal resolutions outlining their position on the VB-G RAM G Act, and calling for the restoration of MGNREGA to panchayat presidents and sarpanches across India.

Last week, after the new law was passed, Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi issued a video statement, accusing the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of trying to weaken the MGNREGA scheme throughout the last 11 years, and vowing to fight this new “black law”, which she argued was brought to “bulldoze” the jobs guarantee scheme that had become “a source of livelihood, especially for the underprivileged, exploited, poor and extremely poor people”.