The Bill was tabled by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after the Bill was passed.
Published Dec 18, 2025 | 6:32 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 18, 2025 | 6:32 PM
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after the Bill was passed.
Synopsis: The Union government passed the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025, replacing MGNREGA, in the Lok Sabha on 18 December, amid fierce Opposition protests. Leaders of Opposition parties condemned the Bill as anti-poor and an insult to Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy, and vowed nationwide agitation against it.
The BJP-led NDA government on Thursday, 18 December, pushed through the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB G Ram G Bill) in the Lok Sabha amid fierce protests by the Opposition, both inside and outside Parliament.
The legislation seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), one of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance’s flagship welfare schemes that guaranteed at least 100 days of employment to one member of every rural household.
The Bill was tabled by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan. The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day soon after the Bill was passed.
Opposition parties, including the Congress, the CPI(M), the CPI, the DMK and the Trinamool Congress, have denounced the move, warning that it would weaken employment guarantees for rural workers and shift the financial burden on to State governments.
Protests and demonstrations were held by Opposition parties across several parts of the country following the passage of the Bill.
Congress MP from Tiruvallur, Sasikanth Senthil, said the passage of the Bill marked a grave moment for Parliament.
“Feeling extremely sad and weak. Darkest day in the Parliament. I have no words. This fascist government in one stroke has killed the rights of millions of poor landless rural labourers by murdering MGNREGS,” he wrote in a post on X.
“The fight has to be now fought in the villages and streets of this country.”
Feeling extremely sad and weak. Darkest day in the parliament. I have no words. This fascist government in one stoke has killed the rights of millions of poor landless rural labourers by murdering MGNREGS. The fight has to be now fought on the villages and streets of this…
— Sasikanth Senthil (@s_kanth) December 18, 2025
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president MK Stalin accused the Centre of deceiving rural workers while burdening States.
“The BJP, which claims unity, is striking at the stomachs of the poor; and Thiru Palaniswami is complicit in blowing the trumpet for it!” he wrote in a post on X.
“In the VBGRAMG scheme, 125 days of work is nothing but a deceptive ploy! Even when there was a law guaranteeing 100 days of work, under the BJP regime, people received only 20 to 25 days of work.”
Stalin said the Centre deceived the people by not releasing wages and project expenses under MGNREGA on a monthly basis, creating a “pathetic situation where we had to fight to get even that pending amount.”
He continued: “Now, after the rules were changed to say that officials can provide work only if they wish, under the Union government’s discretion, even one or two days of work is becoming rare. Tamil Nadu is going to suffer a major financial loss in fund allocation.”
Congress MP from Katihar, Tariq Anwar, termed the Bill an insult to MK Gandhi’s memory.
“Removing Gandhiji’s name from the scheme that gave the poor work and dignity is not reform, it is an insult. The government can waive off corporate debt, but not the worker’s 100 days of wages? This amendment is a blow to the federal structure,” he said in a post on X.
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said the Act would lead to a pan-India anti-government agitation.
“We have completely opposed the Bill. How much lower will this government stoop? This will lead to an all-India anti-government agitation because you are disrespecting the Father of the Nation,” she told reporters outside Parliament.
Congress General Secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi said the Opposition was united in resisting the legislation.
“This Bill will end MGNREGA. We will completely oppose this Bill. All Opposition parties agree on this. The talk of increasing from 100 days to 125 days of wages is just a clever ploy,” she said, speaking to reporters.
“With this Bill, the MGNREGA scheme will end in the coming times. As soon as the budget burden falls on State governments, MGNREGA will gradually start shutting down.”
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramiah also condemned the Bill and urged State BJP leaders to raise their voices against it.
“We strongly condemn this anti-people decision of the Narendra Modi government, which has put its hand into the food bowl of the poor, insulted Bapuji, and is attempting to choke the State governments,” he wrote in a post on X.
“We will carry out a statewide struggle against this. The BJP leaders of the State must be confronted and pressured to raise their voices against this injustice in a non-partisan manner.”
The VB G Ram G Bill seeks to replace the MGNREGA framework, under which the Union government bore the full cost of wages for unskilled manual work, up to three-fourths of material costs, and three-fourths of wages for skilled and semi-skilled workers.
While the new law states that the scheme implemented under it shall be a Centrally Sponsored Scheme, it places 40% of the financial burden on State governments.
Under the proposed framework, the Union government will identify the rural areas in the States where the scheme will be implemented, while State governments will be responsible for providing 125 days of guaranteed employment.
The Bill also introduces a provision allowing the employment guarantee to be paused during peak agricultural seasons. According to the legislation, States must notify in advance a period of 60 days in a financial year covering peak agricultural seasons during which work under the Act will not be undertaken.
The Centre has said this is aimed at facilitating “adequate agricultural labour availability during peak agricultural seasons”.
The Bill also changes the wage payment schedule, mandating that wages be paid every week, unlike MGNREGS, which allows a 15-day limit.
Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan questioned the Opposition’s objections to the name and intent of the legislation claiming that the protests disgraced parliamentary traditions.
“I strongly condemn the disgraceful behaviour of the Congress and INDI bloc MPs in Parliament. Through their behaviour, the Opposition disgraced democracy, tore parliamentary traditions to shreds and turned democracy into ‘goondaraj’,” PTI reported.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
