The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, will come into force on July 1, with the Centre on Tuesday notifying revised wage rates under the new rural employment guarantee scheme.
The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission will start on July 1, 2025, offering 125 days of guaranteed employment at revised wages up to ₹327.4 per day, compared to ₹298.8 under MGNREGA, with significant increases across states.Labourers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) work at a site.The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, will come into force on July 1, with the Centre on Tuesday notifying revised wage rates under the new rural employment guarantee scheme. VB-G RAM G, which replaced MGNREGA. It guarantees 125 days of unskilled manual wage employment annually per eligible rural household.Revised wages under VB-G RAM GAccording to the notification, the revised national average wage has now increased from ₹298.8 per day under MGNREGA to ₹327.4 per day under VB-G RAM G, an average increase of ₹28.6 per day.The Ministry of Rural Development said the revised wage rates, effective from July 1, have been increased across all 34 states, Union Territories and wage regions.View full ImageRevised state-wise rates under rural employment guarantee schemeView full ImageRevised state-wise rates under rural employment guarantee schemeIt said a new interim base wage rate of ₹300 per day has been introduced, ensuring that no notified wage under the programme is below that level. The government said the average increase in wage rates across the country is over 10 per cent.125 days of wage employmentThe ministry said the Act provides a statutory guarantee of up to 125 days of wage employment to eligible rural households, compared to 100 days under the existing rural employment framework.It said 21 states and administrative units have been brought up to the new ₹300 interim base wage rate, while states including Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Assam will see wage increases in the range of 15 per cent to 25 per cent. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will see the highest percentage increase of nearly 24.5 per cent, it added.The government said the revised wage structure has been designed to ensure that the greatest gains accrue to states that historically had lower wage rates. It added that states with higher existing wage rates have also received upward revisions, with Haryana having a notified wage rate of ₹409, Goa ₹406, Kerala ₹401 and Sikkim's high-altitude gram panchayats ₹450 per day.The ministry said an interim allocation of ₹95,692.31 crore has been made to states and Union Territories to ensure a smooth transition, timely wage payments and uninterrupted implementation of works under the new framework.Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the government's priority was to ensure that "no eligible rural worker remains without work even for a single day"."The commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act is a historic step towards building a Viksit Bharat through prosperous villages," he said, adding the Centre and states have worked together to complete preparations for the rollout.The government said existing e-KYC-verified job cards will remain valid until the new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards are issued.The gram panchayats will continue to play a key role in implementation of the scheme, with focus on areas such as natural resource management, water conservation, agriculture and allied activities, rural infrastructure and women's empowerment, it added.According to the ministry, 29 states and Union Territories have made budgetary provisions for the Act, while 24 states have notified their VB-G RAM G state schemes.The national launch of the VB-G RAM G Act will be held on July 2 at Mukkavaripalli Village in Obulavaripalle Mandal of Tirupati district, Andhra Pradesh. Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan will formally launch the Mission. The event will be attended by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, Deputy Chief Minister Konidala Pawan Ka
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