**Executive Summary**
The document outlines the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G Act, 2025], focusing on strengthening and expanding employment guarantees with a specific emphasis on empowering rural women. The Act, effective in the financial year 2025-26, includes provisions to increase employment days, enhance income stability, and ensure gender inclusivity.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Increased Employment Guarantee:** The Act guarantees at least 125 days of wage employment per rural household per financial year, up from 100 days.
* **Enhanced Income Support:** The Act includes a stronger statutory unemployment allowance, ensuring timely wage payments.
* **Prioritized Works:** Works are prioritized across four themes: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and mitigation of extreme weather events.
* **Gender-Inclusive Provisions:** The Act is designed to be gender-inclusive, focusing on supporting women and women-headed households.
* **Mandatory Women Participation:** At least one-third participation of women is mandatory, with a special focus on women-headed households and single women, through special job cards.
* **Prioritized Assets:** Individual assets are prioritized for women-headed households as per Para 6 of Schedule I of the Act.
* **Prioritized Infrastructure:** The Act prioritizes the creation of livelihood-related infrastructure that directly strengthens women and SHGs.
* **Distinct Schedule of Rates:** A distinct Schedule of Rates for women is established to facilitate their productive involvement.
* **Crèche Facilities:** Crèche facilities are to be provided at worksites where five or more children under five years accompany working women.
* **Encouragement as Mates:** Women will be encouraged to take up the role of Mates, supervising works, ensuring quality and maintaining transparency.
* **Social Audit Participation:** Women's role is strengthened through active participation in social audits to ensure work is done properly and payments reach on time.
* **Representation in Councils:** One-third representation of women is mandatory in the Central Rojgar Guarantee Council and the State Rojgar Guarantee Councils.
* **Grievance Redressal:** Grievance redressal mechanisms shall address grievances related to applicants, including discrimination, harassment, or violation of worker rights, including women and vulnerable groups.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Rural Women and Women-Headed Households**
* **Impact:** Increased employment opportunities, enhanced income security, prioritized access to assets, and strengthened participation in decision-making and social audits.
* **Action Required:** Engage in available employment opportunities, participate in social audits, and utilize the grievance redressal mechanisms for any issues faced.
**Stakeholder: Rural Households**
* **Impact:** Enhanced income stability, improved access to basic amenities, and increased livelihood security through the guaranteed employment.
* **Action Required:** Engage in available employment opportunities.
**Stakeholder: Implementing Agencies (Central and State Governments)**
* **Impact:** Responsible for implementing the provisions of the Act, ensuring gender inclusivity, and establishing the necessary infrastructure and councils.
* **Action Required:** Implement the provisions of the Act, including ensuring the availability of work, establishing crèche facilities, and constituting the required councils with adequate women representation.
**Stakeholder: Self-Help Groups (SHGs)**
* **Impact:** SHGs are directly strengthened through the creation of productive assets.
* **Action Required:** Engage with the Act to benefit from the new livelihood related infrastructure.
Key Entities Referenced
Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Act, 2025: An act that strengthens and expands the employment guarantee framework, particularly focused on rural women.
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS: A rural employment scheme under which women's participation is monitored and targeted.
Ministry of Rural Development: The ministry responsible for the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 and its implementation.
Ministry of Rural Development
VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 Empowers Rural Women
with Inclusive Support
Posted On: 10 FEB 2026 5:50PM by PIB Delhi
The participation of women under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has consistently been more than 50% in
the last three financial years and current financial year 2025-26
The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G RAM G Act, 2025
strengthens and expands the guarantee framework by providing a statutory guarantee of at least 125 days
of wage employment per rural household per financial year, increased from 100 days, thereby enhancing
rural income and livelihood security. It includes a stronger statutory unemployment allowance, payable if
work is not provided within the stipulated time, with rates linked to the notified wage rate. Further, by
increasing guaranteed days and ensuring time-bound wage payments and unemployment allowance, the
Act strengthens household income stability, supporting food security and consumption smoothing for rural
families.
Under the new Act, works are prioritised across four themes—water security, core rural infrastructure,
livelihood infrastructure, and mitigation of extreme weather events—leading to creation of durable and
productive rural assets. The Act adopts a forward-looking framework by promoting durable, productivity-
enhancing assets and, through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans and convergence, links wage employment
with asset creation, infrastructure gap saturation and long-term livelihood enhancement. Livelihood-
related infrastructure focuses on productive assets that directly generate income and employment, such as
rural haats, storage structures, work sheds, and livestock or fisheries infrastructure, thereby strengthening
agriculture, improving market access and promoting local enterprises.
Thus, rather than shrinking the job availability and employment guarantee, the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025
expands the employment guarantee for all categories of beneficiaries including women, strengthens legal
entitlements and aligns rural employment with sustainable livelihood creation and climate-resilient
development.
Additionally, the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 is designed to be gender-inclusive, with several women-centric
provisions to support women and women-headed households in rural area. These provisions are as
follows:
1. At least one-third participation of women is mandatory, with special focus on women-headed
households and single women through special job cards.
2. As per the Para 6 of Schedule I of the Act, individual asset shall be prioritized for women-headed
households.
3. The Act prioritises creation of livelihood related infrastructure i.e. SHG buildings, work sheds,
training and skill centres, compost and vermi-compost units, nurseries, livestock shelters, fisheries
infrastructure, storage facilities, rural haats etc. These productive assets directly strengthen women
and SHGs.
4. A distinct Schedule of Rates for women to facilitate their productive involvement.5. Crèche facilities to be provided at worksites where five or more children under five years
accompany working women.
6. Women will also be encouraged to take up the role of Mates, supervising works, ensuring quality
and maintaining transparency.
7. Their role is further strengthened through active participation in social audits, where women help
ensure that work is done properly and payments reach on time.
8. In addition to the above, one-third representation of women is mandatory in the Central Rojgar
Guarantee Council and the State Rojgar Guarantee Councils to be constituted under the Act.
9. The Grievance redressal mechanisms shall address the grievances related to applicants, which
include; discrimination, harassment or violation of worker rights, including women and vulnerable
groups.
This information was given by the Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Kamlesh Paswan in a
written reply in the Lok Sabha today.
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