NEW DELHI: The Punjab government has notified the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G] Scheme, Punjab 2026, bringing the Centre’s new rural employment law into force in the state from July 1, despite the Punjab Assembly having unanimously opposed the legislation just months ago.According to a gazette notification issued by the department of rural development and panchayats on Friday, the scheme has been notified under the provisions of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.The notification states that the scheme aims to align Punjab’s rural development framework with the national vision of Viksit Bharat@2047 by providing an enhanced statutory wage employment guarantee of 125 days in every financial year to rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.
Scheme comes into force from July 1
As per the gazette notification, the VB-G RAM G Scheme, Punjab, will come into effect from July 1 and will apply to all notified rural areas across the state.The scheme has been notified by the Governor of Punjab under Section 3(1) of the Central Act.Administrative secretary Ajit Bala Ji Joshi signed the notification issued by the department of rural development and panchayats.The scheme focuses on employment generation, growth, convergence and saturation while extending the annual employment guarantee from 100 days under MGNREGA to 125 days.
Move marks shift from Punjab’s earlier opposition
The notification marks a significant policy shift by the AAP-led Punjab government, which had strongly opposed the Centre’s decision to replace MGNREGA with the VB-G RAM G framework.In December 2025, the Punjab Vidhan Sabha had unanimously passed a resolution demanding the withdrawal of the new law and restoration of MGNREGA in its original rights-based form.The resolution had described the new Act as “anti-Dalit” and accused the BJP-led Centre of taking away the livelihood of Dalit labourers and poor families by replacing MGNREGA. It also alleged that the legislation imposed an additional financial burden on states by changing the funding pattern from a fully centrally funded scheme to a 60:40 Centre-state sharing model.The Assembly had urged the Centre to immediately withdraw the Act and restore guaranteed work and wages for labourers under MGNREGA.
New framework replaces MGNREGA
The Centre had earlier published draft rules for implementing the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, outlining the transition from MGNREGA to the new rural employment programme from July 1.According to the draft rules, ongoing MGNREGA works as of June 30 would be transitioned into the new framework, while existing e-KYC-verified MGNREGA job cards would remain temporarily valid until new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards are issued.The new framework retains direct benefit transfer for wage payments and unemployment allowances while increasing the annual employment guarantee to 125 days.It also establishes a Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council, a National Level Steering Committee, and a technology-enabled multi-tier grievance redressal mechanism.With Punjab now issuing its own implementation scheme, the state has formally adopted the Central law it had previously urged the Union government to repeal.