VB-G RAM G 2026 Scheme is the rural employment law that now runs in place of MGNREGA. It started on 1 July 2026 and guarantees 125 days of unskilled wage work to every eligible rural household each financial year, with no notified daily wage below Rs 300. An existing job card still works. Last updated: 23.08.2026.
What the VB-G RAM G 2026 scheme is
The full name is Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin). It is a statutory guarantee rather than a temporary announcement, so the entitlements set out below are enforceable in law.
| What people ask | Official position |
|---|---|
| Full name of VB-G RAM G | Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) |
| Short names people use | VB-G RAM G, G RAM G, Viksit Bharat G RAM G |
| Which law applies | VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 (Act 36 of 2025), passed by Parliament in December 2025 |
| Scheme start date | 1 July 2026, in all rural areas at once, under notification S.O. 2382(E) |
| Which ministry runs it | Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development |
| What it replaced | MGNREGA, 2005, repealed with effect from 1 July 2026 |
Number of days work VB-G RAM G guarantees
This is the single biggest change for a rural household, and it is worth being precise about what the number actually covers.
| Question about work days | Answer under the Act |
|---|---|
| Number of days work guaranteed | 125 days in a financial year |
| What it was under MGNREGA | 100 days, so the guarantee rose by 25 days |
| Who the 125 days belong to | The household as a whole, not each person in it |
| What kind of work counts | Unskilled manual work that adult members volunteer for |
| Peak farming season pause | States may notify up to 60 days a year when no work is taken up, and the full 125-day guarantee still applies across the rest of the year |
| Work beyond 5 km from home | An extra 10 per cent of the wage is paid towards travel and living costs |
Important Links
| Document to open | Official destination |
|---|---|
| VB-G RAM G official portal | Open the official portal |
| Wage rate notification 2026-27 PDF | Download the Gazette wage schedule |
| VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 PDF | Download the Act |
| Commencement notification PDF | Download S.O. 2382(E) |
| Official FAQ on the Act PDF | Download the Ministry FAQ |
| MIS reports and state reports | Open the MIS report section |
| Scheme progress at a glance | Open the At a Glance dashboard |
| Act text on India Code | Open the India Code entry |
| Old MGNREGA records archive | Open the legacy NREGA site |
| Ministry of Rural Development | Open the department site |
| Register a grievance | Open the public grievance portal |
| What happened to MGNREGA in 2026 | Read the MGNREGA status page |
| PMVBRY — up to Rs 15,000 for employees plus an employer incentive | Open the apply guide |
| Karnataka Yuva Nidhi — Rs 3,000 a month to unemployed graduates, Rs 1,500 to diploma holders | Open the apply guide |
VB-G RAM G wage rate 2026 state wise list
These rates come from Gazette notification S.O. 3518(E) dated 30 June 2026 and apply from 1 July 2026. The Rs 300 figure is an interim base wage, so the 21 states and administrative units that previously paid less were all raised to it. The national average moved from Rs 298.8 to Rs 327.4 a day, an increase of over 10 per cent.
| State or union territory | Notified daily wage from 01.07.2026 |
|---|---|
| Andhra Pradesh | Rs 312 per day |
| Arunachal Pradesh | Rs 300 per day |
| Assam | Rs 300 per day |
| Bihar | Rs 300 per day |
| Chhattisgarh | Rs 300 per day |
| Goa | Rs 406 per day |
| Gujarat | Rs 300 per day |
| Haryana | Rs 409 per day |
| Himachal Pradesh (non-scheduled areas) | Rs 300 per day |
| Himachal Pradesh (scheduled areas) | Rs 375 per day |
| Jammu and Kashmir | Rs 300 per day |
| Ladakh | Rs 300 per day |
| Jharkhand | Rs 300 per day |
| Karnataka | Rs 382 per day |
| Kerala | Rs 401 per day |
| Madhya Pradesh | Rs 300 per day |
| Maharashtra | Rs 317 per day |
| Manipur | Rs 300 per day |
| Meghalaya | Rs 300 per day |
| Mizoram | Rs 300 per day |
| Nagaland | Rs 300 per day |
| Odisha | Rs 300 per day |
| Punjab | Rs 360 per day |
| Rajasthan | Rs 300 per day |
| Sikkim | Rs 300 per day |
| Sikkim (Gnathang, Lachung and Lachen Gram Panchayats) | Rs 450 per day |
| Tamil Nadu | Rs 345 per day |
| Telangana | Rs 308 per day |
| Tripura | Rs 300 per day |
| Uttar Pradesh | Rs 300 per day |
| Uttarakhand | Rs 300 per day |
| West Bengal | Rs 300 per day |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Andaman district) | Rs 348 per day |
| Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Nicobar district) | Rs 367 per day |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu | Rs 340 per day |
| Lakshadweep | Rs 348 per day |
| Puducherry | Rs 347 per day |
Work guarantee against recruitment
A large share of searches for this scheme use the words vacancy and recruitment, so it is worth answering directly. VB-G RAM G is not a government job notification.
| Common misunderstanding | What is actually true |
|---|---|
| VB-G RAM G vacancy | No. There is no vacancy notification, no post count and no exam |
| Recruitment or work guarantee | No. It is a demand-driven wage employment guarantee for rural households |
| Application fee | No fee. Registration at the Gram Panchayat is free |
| Exam or interview | No. Any adult member of a rural household may volunteer for unskilled manual work |
| Contractors status | No. The Act bars contractors from executing works funded under it |
| Machines against manual work | No labour-displacing machinery is to be used, as far as practicable |
Who is eligible for VB-G RAM G work
Eligibility is deliberately wide. There is no income test and no caste condition written into the Act.
| Eligibility question | What the Act requires |
|---|---|
| Who may demand work | Any rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work |
| Income limit | No income ceiling is prescribed in the Act |
| Age limit | Adult members of the household. No upper age bar is prescribed |
| Urban households | No. The Act applies to rural areas |
| Special card holders | Single women, persons with disability, people above 60, released bonded labourers, members of a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group and transgender persons receive a distinct-coloured card carrying added protection |
VB-G RAM G job card and Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card
The card is being renamed, and this is where most of the worry about old job cards comes from.
| Job card question | Official answer |
|---|---|
| What the new card is called | Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card |
| Status of the old job card | Yes, where e-KYC is complete. It stays valid until the new card is issued |
| If e-KYC is still pending | Work cannot be refused only because e-KYC is incomplete, and it can be completed at the worksite |
| Getting new card | Any adult member applies at the Gram Panchayat with the names, ages and address of the household |
| Cost of the card | Free of cost |
| Where the job card list is shown | Household and worksite data is published through the MIS report section of the official portal, linked at the end of this page |
Applying for VB-G RAM G work
Applying happens at the Gram Panchayat, not through a national online application form. No website replaces this route, so treat any site that charges a fee to register as untrustworthy.
- If the household has no card, apply at the Gram Panchayat with the names, ages and address of household members to get a Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card.
- If an MGNREGA job card with completed e-KYC is already held, keep using it and do not apply again.
- Demand work from the Gram Panchayat, the Programme Officer or an authorised person. This may be done orally, in writing on the same Form 6 as before, or through a digital platform.
- Keep the dated receipt for the work application, because it is the proof that starts the 15-day clock.
- Work must be provided within 15 days of the application. If it is not, unemployment allowance becomes payable by the State Government.
- Attendance at the worksite is captured through face-authentication based systems, with an exception route where the network, device or connectivity fails.
What work is done under VB-G RAM G
Permissible works are grouped into four themes, which is a change from the older open-ended shelf of works.
| Thematic area of work | What actually gets built |
|---|---|
| Water security works | Irrigation support, groundwater recharge, watershed development, rejuvenation of water bodies, afforestation and rainwater harvesting structures |
| Core rural infrastructure | Rural roads, public buildings, school infrastructure, Anganwadi centres, sanitation systems, renewable energy and housing-related works |
| Livelihood infrastructure | Rural markets, storage, food processing units, cold storage, livestock and fisheries infrastructure, compost units and skill development centres |
| Extreme weather works | Flood management structures, embankments, cyclone shelters, post-disaster restoration and forest fire management |
| Where works come from | Every work must originate in a Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan approved by the Gram Sabha |
| Material cost limit | Material expenditure must not exceed 40 per cent at district level |
VB-G RAM G funding pattern and budget
The scheme is centrally sponsored, so its cost is split between the Centre and the states on a ratio fixed by section 22 of the Act.
| Funding question | Figure notified |
|---|---|
| Centre to state share generally | 60:40 for states and union territories with a legislature |
| North Eastern and Himalayan states | 90:10, covering Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir |
| Territories without a legislature | The Centre bears the entire cost of the scheme |
| Central allocation for 2026-27 | Rs 95,692.31 crore as the Central share |
| Total outlay with state share | Expected to exceed Rs 1.51 lakh crore |
| Administrative expenditure cap | Raised from 6 per cent to 9 per cent of scheme cost |
Tracks central and state government recruitment notifications, admit cards, results and cut-offs for Global Drishti, verified directly against official recruitment portals and notification PDFs. Trusted by students and job aspirants nationwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many days of work does VB-G RAM G guarantee?
The Act guarantees 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every eligible rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work. Under MGNREGA the guarantee was 100 days.
When did the VB-G RAM G scheme start?
It came into force across all rural areas of India on 1 July 2026, as appointed by Gazette notification S.O. 2382(E) dated 11 May 2026.
What is the VB-G RAM G daily wage in 2026?
Wage rates were notified on 30 June 2026 through S.O. 3518(E) and apply from 1 July 2026. No notified wage is below Rs 300 a day. The highest is Rs 450 in three high-altitude Sikkim Gram Panchayats, followed by Rs 409 in Haryana. The national average is Rs 327.4.
Is my old MGNREGA job card still valid?
Yes. Existing MGNREGA job cards for which e-KYC has been completed remain valid until new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards are issued. Employment cannot be refused only because e-KYC is still pending.
How does a household register for a Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card?
Any rural household without an MGNREGA job card may apply through any adult member to the Gram Panchayat, giving the names, ages and address details of the household. There is no fee.
Is VB-G RAM G a job vacancy or recruitment?
No. It is a demand-driven wage employment guarantee for rural households, not a recruitment. There is no vacancy notification, no post count, no exam and no application fee.
How do I demand work under the scheme?
Adult members may demand employment from the Gram Panchayat, the Programme Officer or any authorised person. The demand can be made orally, in writing using the same Form 6 as before, or through a digital platform. Work must be provided within 15 days.
What if work is not provided within 15 days?
Unemployment allowance becomes payable by the State Government, at not less than one-fourth of the notified wage rate for the first thirty days of the financial year and not less than one-half for the remaining period.
How and when are wages paid?
Wages are paid by Direct Benefit Transfer into the worker's own bank or post office account, weekly and in any case within fifteen days of the muster roll closing.
What happens if my wage payment is delayed?
Delay compensation is payable at 0.05 per cent of the unpaid wages for every day of delay beyond the sixteenth day after closure of the muster roll.
What is the Centre to state funding ratio?
It is 90:10 for the North Eastern and Himalayan states including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, 60:40 for other states and union territories with a legislature, and 100 per cent central funding for union territories without a legislature.
What kind of works are taken up under VB-G RAM G?
Works fall under four thematic areas: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and works to mitigate extreme weather events. Every work must originate in a Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan approved by the Gram Sabha.
Can work be paused during the farming season?
Yes. State Governments may notify a period aggregating to sixty days in a financial year covering peak sowing and harvesting, when works are not taken up. The 125-day guarantee still applies over the rest of the year.
What happens if the worksite is more than 5 km away?
Employment is provided within a 5 km radius of the applicant's village as far as possible. If it is beyond that but within the block, an extra 10 per cent of the wage rate is paid towards transport and living expenses.