Parliament Passes VB-GRAMG Bill, Replacing MGNREGA Amid Fierce Opposition Protests

The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill is set to replace MGNREGA, increasing guaranteed rural employment to 125 days annually. States will now shoulder 40% of the funding. Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan champions it as a modernization aligning with Viksit Bharat 2047, introducing digital oversight with biometric verification, GPS monitoring, and AI auditing. Annual funding is estimated at ₹1.51 lakh crore, with the Centre contributing ₹95,692 crore.