**Executive Summary**
The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB-GRAM Act, 2025, establishes an enhanced statutory guarantee of 125 days of unskilled manual work per financial year for rural households. For the 2026–27 financial year, the Central Government has allocated a record ₹95,692.31 crore to support this mission. State Governments are required to notify a scheme consistent with the Act within six months of its commencement.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Employment Guarantees**
* **Enhanced Work Duration:** Rural households are guaranteed 125 days of wage employment per financial year for adult members volunteering for unskilled manual work.
* **Mandatory Off-season Work:** The Act specifically mandates that 25 days of the guaranteed employment must be provided outside the 60-day peak agricultural season notified by each State.
* **Strategic Alignment:** The mission aims to align rural development with the national "Viksit Bharat @2047" vision to ensure livelihood security and rural transformation.
**Financial and Funding Framework**
* **Centrally Sponsored Scheme:** The mission operates under a structured fund-sharing model between the Central and State Governments.
* **Funding Ratios:** A 90:10 sharing pattern applies to North-Eastern States, Himalayan States, and specific Union Territories (Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir), while a 60:40 ratio applies to all other States and UTs with legislatures.
* **Record Allocation:** The Central share for FY 2026–27 is set at ₹95,692.31 crore, with the total outlay (including state shares) expected to exceed ₹1.51 lakh crore.
**Administrative Provisions**
* **State-wise Allocation:** The Central Government will determine state-wise normative allocations for each financial year based on prescribed objective parameters.
* **State Notification Deadline:** State Governments must notify a scheme consistent with the provisions and features of the VB-GRAM Act within six months of its commencement.
**Impact Analysis**
**Rural Households**
**Impact**
Eligible households receive increased livelihood security through 125 days of guaranteed wages and protected employment during agricultural off-seasons.
**Action Required**
Adult members must volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work to participate in the program.
**State Governments**
**Impact**
States are responsible for co-funding the scheme (10% or 40% depending on region) and managing local implementation.
**Action Required**
Must notify a consistent scheme within six months of the Act's commencement and notify the 60-day peak agricultural season for their respective regions.
**Central Government (Ministry of Rural Development)**
**Impact**
The Centre takes on the largest-ever financial commitment for a rural employment program at the Budget Estimate stage.
**Action Required**
Must determine and prescribe objective parameters to calculate state-wise normative funding allocations for each financial year.
Key Entities Referenced
Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAM) Act, 2025: The primary legislation providing a statutory wage employment guarantee of 125 days per financial year to rural households for unskilled manual work.
Ministry of Rural Development: The central ministry responsible for the administration, fund allocation, and oversight of the VB-GRAM Act.
Viksit Bharat @2047: The national vision document for a developed India that the rural development framework aims to align with through this Act.
Kamlesh Paswan: The Minister of State for Rural Development who officially presented the details and funding structure of the Act in the Lok Sabha.
Ministry of Rural Development
VB-GRAM Act 2025 Guarantees 125 Days of
Rural Employment to Drive Viksit Bharat Vision
Enhanced wage guarantee with mandatory off-season
employment strengthens livelihood security for rural
households
Record ₹95,692 crore central allocation and structured
Centre–State funding to accelerate rural transformation and
job creation
Posted On: 17 MAR 2026 5:35PM by PIB Delhi
The primary objective of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB-G
RAM G Act, 2025, is to align the rural development framework with the national vision of Viksit Bharat
@2047 by providing an enhanced statutory wage employment guarantee of one hundred and twenty-five
days in each financial year to such rural households whose adult members volunteer to undertake
unskilled manual work, thereby enabling them to participate more effectively in the expanded livelihood
security framework, with every rural household statutorily guaranteed twenty-five days of employment
outside the sixty days in a financial year peak agricultural season notified by the State.
As per Sub-section (4) of Section 22 of the Act, the Central Government shall determine the State-wise
normative allocation for each state based on objective parameters as may be prescribed by the Central
Government.
Here it is also stated that as per Section 22 of the Act, the Scheme implemented under the Act shall be a
Centrally Sponsored Scheme and the fund-sharing pattern between the Central Government and the State
Government shall be 90:10 for the North-Eastern States, Himalayan States and Union Territory
(Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir) and 60:40 for all other States and Union
Territories with legislature.
For the financial year 2026–27, a Central share provision of ₹95,692.31 crore has been made for the Viksit
Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), representing the largest allocation ever for
rural employment programme at Budget Estimate Stage. With the inclusion of the corresponding
estimated State share, the total programme outlay is likely to exceed ₹1.51 lakh crore, which is expected
to significantly accelerate rural transformation, large-scale employment generation and income
enhancement in rural areas.
Further it is also stated that as per provisions contained in Section 3(1) of the VB–G RAM G Act, 2025,
the State Government, shall within six months from the date of commencement of this Act, by
notification, make a Scheme consistent with the provisions of this Act and the features provided therein.As per section 4 of VB- G RAM G Act, the Central government shall determine the State wise normative
allocation for each financial year based on objective parameters as may be prescribed by the central
government.
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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