MGNREGA: Building Rural Resilience The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), launched in 2005, guarantees every rural household at least 100 days of wage employment each year. Over the years, it has become a pillar of rural livelihood security The scheme goes beyond providing wages. It has created over 68,000 water bodies under Mission Amrit Sarovar, converged with 13 ministries for rural infrastructure, and in FY 2025–26 ensured that 99.79% of households demanding wo

One of India’s most significant social welfare laws over the past two decades has been the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, or MGNREGA. Enacted in 2005, it guaranteed 100 days of paid unskilled work each year to rural households and created a legally enforceable right to employment. The government has now introduced a new framework — the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, or the VB-G RAM G Bill — to replace MGNREGA. The proposed la