MGNREGA vs Viksit Bharat Rozgar & Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): A Structural Shift in Rural Employment Policy

Introduction: From Wage Security to Sustainable Livelihoods

India’s rural employment framework is undergoing a conceptual transition. While the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) was designed as a rights-based wage employment safety net, the proposed Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 aims to integrate employment with livelihood creation, skilling, and long-term economic productivity. This shift aligns with the Government’s stated goal of achieving Viksit Bharat (Developed India) by 2047.

Statutory Background of MGNREGA

MGNREGA is a central legislation enacted in 2005 guaranteeing 100 days of unskilled manual wage employment per financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to work.

Key Legal Features

  • Demand-driven employment guarantee

  • Statutory right to work

  • Unemployment allowance for failure to provide work

  • Decentralised implementation through Panchayati Raj Institutions

  • Focus on labour-intensive public works

MGNREGA is widely recognised as one of the world’s largest social security and employment programmes.

Overview of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025

The VB–G RAM (Gramin) Bill, 2025 proposes a mission-mode framework for rural employment and livelihoods. Unlike MGNREGA’s exclusive focus on wage labour, the new Bill seeks to combine employment assurance with income generation, entrepreneurship, skilling, and asset creation

Core Objectives

  • Transition rural households from wage dependence to self-reliant livelihoods

  • Integrate employment with skilling, micro-enterprises, and local value chains

  • Promote durable rural assets and productivity-linked employment

  • Align rural employment with national development priorities

Key Differences Between MGNREGA and VB–G RAM (Gramin)

Nature of Employment

MGNREGA guarantees unskilled manual labour, largely seasonal and temporary in nature.
VB–G RAM focuses on diversified employment, including skilled work, agri-based enterprises, allied sectors, and local entrepreneurship

Legal Character

MGNREGA creates an enforceable statutory right to employment.
The VB–G RAM Bill adopts a mission-based entitlement framework, prioritising livelihood outcomes rather than daily wage guarantees.

Skill Orientation

MGNREGA has minimal skill integration.
VB–G RAM embeds skill development, training, and capacity building as central components to enhance employability and income sustainability

Asset Creation

MGNREGA assets are largely community infrastructure-oriented (ponds, roads, soil conservation).
VB–G RAM emphasises productive, income-generating assets, including farm-linked enterprises, rural MSMEs, and cooperative ventures.

Economic Philosophy

MGNREGA functions as a social protection and distress-mitigation law.
VB–G RAM reflects a developmental and growth-oriented approach, aiming to convert employment into economic mobility.

Constitutional Basis of Rural Employment Schemes

Directive Principles of State Policy

Both frameworks draw legitimacy from:

  • Article 39(a) – Right to adequate means of livelihood

  • Article 41 – Right to work and public assistance

  • Article 43 – Living wage and decent standard of life

These provisions impose a constitutional obligation on the State to secure livelihood opportunities, particularly in rural India.

Judicial Precedents Supporting Employment Guarantees

Supreme Court on MGNREGA

  • Swaraj Abhiyan v. Union of India (2016): The Court held that delay in wages under MGNREGA violates the statutory right to livelihood.

  • People’s Union for Civil Liberties v. Union of India: Recognised employment schemes as extensions of the right to life under Article 21.

These precedents establish that employment guarantees are not policy choices alone, but constitutional commitments.

How VB–G RAM Advances the Viksit Bharat 2047 Vision

Structural Transformation

The Bill attempts to move rural India from subsistence employment to productive participation in the economy.

Reduction of Disguised Unemployment

By linking work to skills and enterprises, the mission aims to address chronic underemployment rather than temporary income gaps.

Rural Entrepreneurship

VB–G RAM promotes self-employment, SHGs, cooperatives, and local value chains, aligning with Atmanirbhar Bharat goals

Continuity or Replacement?

The proposed framework does not necessarily abolish MGNREGA but signals a policy evolution. MGNREGA may continue as a safety net, while VB–G RAM operates as a graduation mechanism out of wage dependency.

Conclusion: From Guarantee to Growth

MGNREGA represented a landmark shift in recognising the right to work. The Viksit Bharat – Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) seeks to take that legacy forward by embedding skills, productivity, and entrepreneurship into rural employment policy. If implemented with legal clarity and institutional safeguards, the new framework could play a pivotal role in achieving the Viksit Bharat 2047 goal of inclusive and sustainable development.

Location: Pune, Maharashtra, India

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