New Delhi: President Droupadi Murmu on Sunday gave her assent to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, which was cleared by the Parliament this week. With this, the bill has now become law.

Notably, the bill seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Under this act, the government is looking to provide 125 days of guaranteed wage employment to labourers in rural areas of the country. As per the government, the new law will be in line with its vision of ‘Viksit Bharat 2047’.

Know about VB-G Ram G Bill?

The VB–G RAM G Bill will replace the UPA-era MGNREGA, which had guaranteed at least 100 days of employment initially. Under MNREGA, states were permitted to provide 50 additional days of work beyond 100 days.

Notably, the NDA Government had extended wage employment to 150 days for the Scheduled Tribe communities who live in forest areas. Under the new law, there would be a guarantee of 125 days of wage employment. Earlier, the government said that the bill aims to ensure smooth spending of public funds, with greater transparency.

‘Law will help in development of villages’

According to Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Chouhan, the proposed law would lead to the "comprehensive development of villages. He added that the bill is "meant to provide abundant employment to every poor person, uphold their dignity, and offer additional protection to the differently-abled, elderly, women, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes, Hindustan Times reported.

Govt earmarks Rs 95,000 for initiative

The government has earmarked Rs 95,000 crore for the initiative. A senior official told Hindustan Times that earlier, states often found ways to avoid spending on material costs and instead attempted to extract a larger share of funds from the Centre’s contribution.