Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India
MGNREGA to VB-G RAM G Transition 2026: 125-Day Guarantee
Objective
Provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Eligibility Criteria
- Adult member (18+ years) of a rural household
- Willing to do unskilled manual work
- Must have a MGNREGA Job Card issued by the Gram Panchayat
- Job card is free. Issued within 15 days of application
Benefits & Features
- 1100 days of guaranteed wage employment per household per year
- 2Wage rate ₹241 to ₹400 per day (varies by state; revised April 2025)
- 3Work provided within 5 km of your home
- 4Unemployment allowance if work not provided within 15 days of demand
- 5Payment directly into your bank/post office account within 15 days
- 6Social security benefits. Work site facilities including shade, drinking water, first aid
Required Documents
- Aadhaar card (all willing adult household members)
- Proof of residence (ration card, electricity bill, or residence certificate)
- Bank or post office account details (for wage payment)
- 2 passport-size photographs
How to Apply
Frequently Asked Questions
| What is VB-G RAM G Act 2025? | VB-G RAM G stands for Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). It's a rural employment law that received Presidential assent in December 2025 and replaces MGNREGA nationwide from 1 July 2026. Key changes: 125-day annual employment guarantee (up from 100), Rs. 95,692 crore FY 2026-27 allocation, focus on water security, rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and climate resilience. |
| When will VB-G RAM G replace MGNREGA? | VB-G RAM G started nationwide rollout from 1 July 2026. Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal issued state notifications in July 2026. Rajasthan, Maharashtra, and other states are expected to notify their rollouts through Q2 FY 2026-27. MGNREGA continues under a Rs. 30,000 crore wind-down allocation to clear pending payments during the transition window. |
| Will old MGNREGA job cards work under VB-G RAM G? | Yes. Existing MGNREGA job cards are automatically converted to VB-G RAM G job cards by the gram panchayat sachiv without fresh Aadhaar authentication. No paperwork or re-registration is needed. Visit the panchayat to confirm your card is marked under VB-G RAM G in the FY 2026-27 register. |
| How many days of work are guaranteed under VB-G RAM G? | VB-G RAM G guarantees 125 days of wage employment per household per financial year, up from MGNREGA's 100-day guarantee. Every adult member of a registered rural household willing to do unskilled manual work is eligible to demand work under this 125-day cap. |
| What is the wage rate under the new rural employment law? | Under MGNREGA for FY 2025-26 (the last full cycle), the national average daily wage was Rs. 370, with Haryana at Rs. 400 the highest and Uttar Pradesh at Rs. 252 the lowest. VB-G RAM G wage notification for FY 2026-27 was expected alongside state-level rollouts in July 2026, with rates broadly aligning to MGNREGA levels adjusted for inflation. |
| Is MGNREGA still active in 2026? | MGNREGA is being replaced by the VB-G RAM G Act 2025 (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission - Gramin) starting nationwide from 1 July 2026. MGNREGA continues under a Rs. 30,000 crore FY 2026-27 wind-down allocation to clear pending wage payments and reconcile completed work. |
| How many days of rural employment does VB-G RAM G guarantee? | VB-G RAM G guarantees 125 days of wage employment per household per financial year, up from MGNREGA's 100-day guarantee. Every adult member of a registered rural household willing to do unskilled manual work is eligible. |
| What is the FY 2026-27 budget allocation for VB-G RAM G? | Rs. 95,692 crore was allocated to VB-G RAM G in Union Budget 2026-27, roughly triple MGNREGA's peak allocation. MGNREGA gets an additional Rs. 30,000 crore as a wind-down allocation for pending wage dues and completed-work reconciliation. |
| Do I need to re-register for VB-G RAM G if I already have an MGNREGA job card? | No. Your existing MGNREGA job card is converted to a VB-G RAM G job card by the gram panchayat sachiv without fresh Aadhaar authentication. Just visit the panchayat to confirm your card is marked under VB-G RAM G. No paperwork or re-registration needed. |
| What are the four work focus areas under VB-G RAM G? | Water security (rainwater harvesting, tank restoration, canal cleaning), rural infrastructure (village roads, drainage, bunds), livelihood-related infrastructure (weekly-market platforms, drying yards, FPO godowns), and climate resilience (embankment strengthening, cyclone shelters, drought-resistant plantations). |
| What is the seasonal pause rule under VB-G RAM G? | States can notify up to 60 days a year across sowing and harvesting seasons during which no VB-G RAM G work runs. The intent is to not compete with farm labour demand during peak agricultural cycles, when private wage rates are already high. |
| What is the daily wage rate under MGNREGA for FY 2025-26? | The national average daily wage for FY 2025-26 was Rs. 370, up from Rs. 349 in FY 2024-25. Haryana was highest at Rs. 400, and Uttar Pradesh at Rs. 252 was among the lowest. The VB-G RAM G wage notification for FY 2026-27 was expected alongside state-level rollouts in July 2026. |
| What is the unemployment allowance under VB-G RAM G? | If work is not provided within 15 days of a valid demand submission, the household is entitled to an unemployment allowance. The 15-day clock is codified centrally under VB-G RAM G, replacing the earlier state-varying rules under MGNREGA. |
| How can I check MGNREGA pending payments? | Log in to nregastrikes.nic.in with your job card number. If status shows 'processed' but your bank account has no credit, take the transaction ID to the block development officer. If status shows 'pending', escalate at the gram panchayat sachiv level first. |
| Where can I file a grievance under VB-G RAM G? | The three-tier grievance mechanism continues under VB-G RAM G. First level is gram panchayat social audit. Second level is the block programme officer. Third level is the district ombudsperson notified by the state government. File in writing at each level and keep date-stamped acknowledgements. |
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What MGNREGA is in 2026
MGNREGA is being replaced. The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act 2025, called VB-G RAM G, received Presidential assent in December 2025 and starts nationwide rollout from 1 July 2026 per the Ministry of Rural Development notification. Union Budget 2026-27 allocated Rs. 95,692 crore to VB-G RAM G, roughly triple MGNREGA's earlier peak allocation, and Rs. 30,000 crore to MGNREGA as a wind-down allocation for pending wage dues.
If you're a rural household looking to demand work in the 2026-27 financial year, VB-G RAM G is the scheme to register under, not MGNREGA. The new law raises the annual employment guarantee from 100 days to 125 days per household, adds a normative funding model that replaces the earlier uncapped demand-driven model, and lets states notify up to 60 days a year (across sowing and harvesting seasons) during which no work under the scheme runs.
Every top-ranking search result for "MGNREGA 2026" still describes the old 100-day scheme as if nothing has changed. That's outdated. The rest of this page explains what's actually live from 1 July 2026, what MGNREGA still does during the wind-down window, and what a rural household needs to do to keep receiving rural employment payments.
The VB-G RAM G Act 2025 explained
VB-G RAM G stands for Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). Rozgar means employment. Ajeevika means livelihood. Gramin means rural. Read together: the Viksit Bharat rural livelihood and employment guarantee mission. Legislation was tabled in Parliament in the 2025 monsoon session, passed both houses by late November 2025, and received Presidential assent in December 2025 per PRSIndia's bill tracker.
Six things changed vs MGNREGA:
1. Annual guarantee raised from 100 days to 125 days per household. A single household with adult members willing to do unskilled manual work can demand up to 125 days of paid employment in a financial year. Uttar Pradesh notified this in July 2026 (Organiser article, 5 July 2026), West Bengal notified around the same time (Free Press Journal, July 2026).
2. Work focus narrowed to four categories. Water security (rainwater harvesting, tank restoration, canal cleaning), rural infrastructure (village roads, drainage, bunds), livelihood-related infrastructure (weekly-market platforms, drying yards, godowns for farmer producer organisations), and climate resilience (embankment strengthening, cyclone shelters, drought-resistant plantations). Some MGNREGA-approved works (individual pond digging on private land, small-scale check dams) may not carry over, so verify at gram panchayat level.
3. Seasonal pause window introduced. States can notify up to 60 days a year during which no VB-G RAM G work runs. The intent: don't compete with sowing and harvesting when farm-wage rates are already high. That's a policy tool MGNREGA didn't have, and it explicitly gives priority to farm labour demand during peak agri-cycle weeks.
4. Normative funding replaces demand-driven funding. MGNREGA's earlier design let districts absorb whatever wage bill demand generated, with the Centre reimbursing. VB-G RAM G uses fixed, normative allocations built into the annual budget cycle. In practice: predictable Centre share, harder cap on district-level wage payments. This is the biggest structural change and the one worker unions have flagged as risking under-funding when demand spikes (drought years, monsoon failures).
5. Unemployment allowance kicks in earlier. If work is not provided within 15 days of a valid demand submission, the household is entitled to an unemployment allowance. MGNREGA had a similar clause but the day-count and state-share rules varied. Under VB-G RAM G, the 15-day clock is codified centrally.
6. Cost-sharing structure. Centre-state cost-sharing model. Exact ratios per work category not yet published in a single source (varies by activity), but the direction of travel is fixed normative allocations rather than the earlier uncapped Centre reimbursement.
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G at a glance
The table below is the fastest way to see what changed. Every competitor page is missing this comparison entirely.
| Parameter | MGNREGA (2005 to 2026) | VB-G RAM G (2026 onwards) |
|---|---|---|
| Annual guarantee | 100 days per household | 125 days per household |
| Focus areas | Broad (agricultural, community, rural asset creation) | Narrowed to water, rural infra, livelihood infra, climate resilience |
| Funding model | Demand-driven, uncapped Centre reimbursement | Fixed normative allocations |
| Seasonal pause | Not codified | States can notify up to 60 days a year |
| Unemployment allowance clock | 15 days (state rules varied) | 15 days codified centrally |
| Wage rate notification | Section 6(1) MGNREGA Act, annual | Notification cycle to be published under VB-G RAM G rules |
| FY 2026-27 allocation | Rs. 30,000 crore (wind-down for pending dues) | Rs. 95,692 crore |
| Successor of | NREGA 2005 | MGNREGA (Act repealed on VB-G RAM G rollout) |
FY 2025-26 MGNREGA wage rates (the last cycle)
The Ministry of Rural Development issued the FY 2025-26 wage notification under Section 6(1) of the MGNREGA Act on 28 March 2025, effective from 1 April 2025. It's the final wage cycle under the old law before VB-G RAM G takes over.
Sample daily wage rates for FY 2025-26:
| State | Daily wage (Rs.) | Change over FY 2024-25 |
|---|---|---|
| Haryana | 400 | +21 |
| Kerala | 359 | +12 |
| Karnataka | 358 | +9 |
| Andhra Pradesh | 320 | +12 |
| Telangana | 324 | +17 |
| Tamil Nadu | 319 | +25 |
| Maharashtra | 316 | +19 |
| Rajasthan | 285 | +19 |
| Uttar Pradesh | 252 | +15 |
| Bihar | 255 | +10 |
| Madhya Pradesh | 261 | +17 |
| Chhattisgarh | 261 | +17 |
National average: Rs. 370 per person-day, up roughly 6% year-on-year. Ministry of Rural Development data for FY 2025-26 shows 163.29 crore person-days generated. The VB-G RAM G wage notification for FY 2026-27 was expected to be issued alongside the state-level rollouts in July 2026.
What MGNREGA still does under the Rs. 30,000 crore wind-down
MGNREGA doesn't vanish overnight on 1 July 2026. Two things continue under the wind-down allocation:
Pending wage payments. Rs. 17,744 crore was released as MGNREGA wage payments for FY 2026-27 in the first quarter tranche per Ministry of Rural Development notes (June 2026 news reports). The remaining Rs. 30,000 crore wind-down allocation clears carry-forward liabilities to state governments and worker accounts for work already completed under the old scheme.
Completed work reconciliation. Muster rolls filed before 30 June 2026 continue to be verified and paid under MGNREGA rules. Fresh work registrations from 1 July 2026 shift to VB-G RAM G. Gram panchayat sachivs are the first-line contact for reconciling any short payment.
If you have MGNREGA work pending payment as of July 2026, three steps help:
- Log in to nregastrikes.nic.in with your job card number to check payment status
- If status shows "processed" but bank account is empty, take the transaction ID to the block development officer (BDO)
- If status shows "pending", the sachiv at your gram panchayat is the first escalation
How VB-G RAM G registration works
The registration flow is similar to MGNREGA's job card model, with some administrative changes still being formalised.
Household registration. Approach your gram panchayat sachiv with the head-of-household's Aadhaar, ration card, and one address proof. Sachiv issues a job card in the household head's name listing all adult members willing to do unskilled manual work. This card is now branded as a VB-G RAM G Job Card.
Existing MGNREGA job cards continue. If your household already has an active MGNREGA job card, the sachiv converts it to a VB-G RAM G card without fresh Aadhaar authentication. No re-registration needed. Just verify at the gram panchayat that your card is now marked under VB-G RAM G.
Demand for work. File Form 4 (application for work) at the gram panchayat. Same form design as MGNREGA. Work must start within 15 days or unemployment allowance kicks in.
Wage payment. Direct benefit transfer to the job card holder's Aadhaar-linked bank account. Payment cycle is 15 days from muster roll closure.
Grievance redressal. VB-G RAM G continues the three-tier grievance mechanism: gram panchayat social audit, block-level programme officer, district-level ombudsperson.
What worker unions are watching
The normative funding model is the change unions have flagged as the biggest risk. If demand for VB-G RAM G work spikes in a drought year and the fixed allocation runs out, the earlier reimbursement-on-demand safety valve is gone. National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW) and Right to Food Campaign (RtFC) submitted memoranda to the Ministry of Rural Development in November 2025 asking for a demand-linked contingency window inside the normative structure. The Ministry has not published a response as of July 2026.
For rural workers, the practical safeguards remain: file Form 4 in writing (not verbally), get the sachiv's date-stamp acknowledgement, and log unemployment-allowance demands in writing within the 15-day window. Documentation is the safeguard the new law expects households to use.
What women workers should know
Women's share of MGNREGA person-days averaged 52% to 60% across recent years, per Ministry of Rural Development annual reports. That's higher than women's share of the rural non-farm labour force overall, and it makes MGNREGA one of the most successful workfare programmes globally for women's paid participation. The 33% women's reservation clause in Section 6(2) of the MGNREGA Act (which required at least one-third of beneficiaries to be women) carries forward under VB-G RAM G, with the same 33% floor codified in the new Act.
Two practical implications for women:
-
Gender-specific worksite provisions (creche for children under 6, drinking water separate for women's washroom) continue at worksites employing 20 or more workers. Check with your gram panchayat if a worksite lacks these.
-
Wage payment goes directly to the woman's individual Aadhaar-linked bank account, not the household head's. If your bank account isn't Aadhaar-seeded, get it done at your bank branch first. Without seeding, wage payment falls back to the household head's account.
What SC/ST workers should know
MGNREGA's Section 22 required at least 33% of works to benefit SC/ST individual land under Individual Beneficiary Schemes (IBS) works like land development, well digging, and dug-out ponds. VB-G RAM G continues the SC/ST individual-benefit priority but the exact category-share formula for the new focus areas has not been notified in a single-page rule. Watch state-level rules under VB-G RAM G for the FY 2026-27 breakdown.
Priority in ordering of work under VB-G RAM G continues MGNREGA's practice: SC/ST households, single-woman-headed households, households with disabled members, PVTG households, and households with a person living with HIV get first-priority slots when work opens. Take the priority certificate to the gram panchayat sachiv along with your work-demand form to invoke this ordering.
VB-G RAM G rollout tracker
State-level VB-G RAM G rollouts have started in a staggered pattern from July 2026. Verified state notifications as of July 2026:
| State | Rollout notification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Uttar Pradesh | July 2026 | Organiser article, 5 July 2026 |
| West Bengal | July 2026 | Free Press Journal, July 2026 |
| Rajasthan | Notification expected August 2026 | State labour department briefing |
| Maharashtra | Notification expected August 2026 | State labour department briefing |
| Other states | Rolling notifications through Q2 FY 2026-27 | MoRD briefing, July 2026 |
Track your own state's rollout at the Ministry of Rural Development portal that succeeded nregastrikes.nic.in (VB-G RAM G portal address expected to be published alongside the state rollout tranche). Until the successor portal goes live, existing nregastrikes.nic.in continues to serve household records.
If your state hasn't rolled out yet, MGNREGA's existing rules keep running under the wind-down window. That means your job card, muster roll process, and payment cycle continue unchanged until your state's specific notification date. The rollout doesn't strand any worker between the two regimes. Check with your gram panchayat sachiv weekly if you're unsure which regime is currently active in your block.
MGNREGA vs VB-G RAM G: 8 differences that matter for rural households
Every top competitor page describes MGNREGA as if nothing changed on 1 July 2026. Here's the 8-point comparison that explains why the difference matters in practice, not just on paper.
| Feature | MGNREGA (2005 to 2026) | VB-G RAM G (2026 onwards) | Practical impact for you |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual work guarantee | 100 days per household | 125 days per household | 25 extra guaranteed workdays worth roughly Rs. 9,000 to Rs. 10,000 at 2026-27 wage rates |
| Type of work | Broad rural asset creation | Focused on 4 categories (water, infra, livelihood, climate) | Some earlier activities (individual pond digging, private-land wells) may not carry over; verify at gram panchayat |
| Seasonal pause | Not codified | States can notify up to 60 days a year during sowing/harvesting | No competition with farm-wage cycles during peak agri weeks |
| Funding model | Demand-driven, uncapped Centre reimbursement | Fixed normative Centre-state allocation | Predictable funding but risk of shortage in drought years |
| Unemployment allowance | 15 days, state rules varied | 15 days codified centrally | Consistent nationwide standard |
| Wage rate notification cycle | Annual, Section 6(1) MGNREGA Act | To be notified under VB-G RAM G rules | Watch state notifications for FY 2026-27 rate |
| Job card | MGNREGA job card | Converted automatically to VB-G RAM G card | No re-registration needed for existing MGNREGA households |
| FY 2026-27 allocation | Rs. 30,000 crore wind-down | Rs. 95,692 crore | 3x more budget for expanded 125-day guarantee |
MGNREGA job card status check and VB-G RAM G transition process
If you're a rural household with an existing MGNREGA job card and you want to confirm it's transitioned to VB-G RAM G, three practical checks help.
Step 1: Log in to nregastrikes.nic.in. Enter your state, district, block, and gram panchayat, then click "Job Card". Enter the household head's name. Your job card record should show the FY 2026-27 activity list. If it does, the transition is administratively active for your household even if the panchayat sachiv hasn't formally announced it yet.
Step 2: Visit the gram panchayat sachiv. Ask the sachiv to confirm that your job card is marked under VB-G RAM G in the FY 2026-27 register. This is a physical verification, and it's the primary way work-demand applications get accepted. Without confirmation, the sachiv may still process demand under MGNREGA rules during the wind-down window, which reduces the days available to you from 125 to 100 per year.
Step 3: Update Aadhaar-bank seeding. VB-G RAM G continues MGNREGA's direct benefit transfer (DBT) to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts. Payment fails silently if seeding is broken. Take your Aadhaar and passbook to your bank branch and confirm seeding at the counter. Fix any mismatch before demanding fresh work.
eKYC status check. As of July 2026, VB-G RAM G continues MGNREGA's earlier eKYC infrastructure. If you completed MGNREGA eKYC during the FY 2024-25 or FY 2025-26 cycle, your VB-G RAM G access carries forward the same authentication. If eKYC failed or is pending, complete it at your gram panchayat with Aadhaar OTP or fingerprint authentication before filing your first VB-G RAM G work demand.
How to apply for VB-G RAM G online in 2026
VB-G RAM G registration flow, on the new portal expected to be published alongside state rollouts, mirrors MGNREGA's job card model. Here's the practical guide for both online and offline routes.
Online route (available where state has rolled out):
- Visit the successor portal to nregastrikes.nic.in (address to be confirmed with state notification; check your state's Rural Development Department website)
- Click "Register Household" and enter Aadhaar of the household head
- OTP verification on the Aadhaar-linked mobile number
- Add each adult household member willing to do unskilled manual work
- Upload address proof (Aadhaar suffices for most cases)
- Sachiv receives the application at the panchayat end for verification
- Job card issued in 7 to 14 working days
Offline route (universal):
- Visit your gram panchayat sachiv with the household head's Aadhaar, ration card, and one address proof
- Sachiv fills Form 1 (household registration) on your behalf
- Bring one photograph of the household head plus adult members
- Sachiv issues a paper job card immediately, digital record synced within 3 working days
- File Form 4 (application for work) at the same visit if you're ready to start work
The online route is faster for households comfortable with Aadhaar OTP flows. The offline route works even if you have no smartphone or internet access. Both give the same job card and both accept the same work demand under the 125-day guarantee.
What VB-G RAM G means for migrant workers
Migrant workers who move between states for construction, agriculture, or other seasonal work were a persistent gap in MGNREGA delivery. VB-G RAM G addresses this through inter-state portability, though the operational details are still being finalised by the Ministry of Rural Development.
The Act allows a household's 125-day guarantee to be exercised in either the source or destination district, subject to Aadhaar-based verification and a one-time notification through the source panchayat. If your household in Bihar has 40 days of pending guarantee and you're currently working in Maharashtra, you can theoretically demand VB-G RAM G work in Maharashtra for the remaining 85 days without losing the Bihar-registered days.
This is a policy change worth tracking. For migrant labour households, VB-G RAM G could reduce the "double claim" gap where seasonal migrants effectively lost their rural employment guarantee because they weren't physically present at their home panchayat during work-planning season. Watch for the Ministry of Rural Development's inter-state portability circular expected in Q3 FY 2026-27.
VB-G RAM G work categories with the biggest FY 2026-27 budget
Of the Rs. 95,692 crore FY 2026-27 allocation, three of the four VB-G RAM G focus categories dominate the spend based on the initial state-level work plans notified through July 2026.
Water security (approximately 38% of spend). Rainwater harvesting structures, tank restoration, canal desilting, minor irrigation, and check dams. Highest share because water scarcity is politically visible and infrastructure is durable.
Rural infrastructure (approximately 30% of spend). Village internal roads, drainage systems, bunds, and low-cost pucca structures for public use. Includes roads to connect isolated hamlets to main village clusters.
Livelihood infrastructure (approximately 22% of spend). Weekly-market platforms, drying yards, agricultural produce godowns for farmer producer organisations, and small-scale processing infrastructure like grain silos.
Climate resilience (approximately 10% of spend). Embankment strengthening, cyclone shelter maintenance, and drought-resistant plantation initiatives. Smallest share this cycle but expected to grow year-on-year as climate risks intensify.