The Union government on Saturday published draft rules under the newly-enacted Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act 2025 (VB-G RAM G), seeking public comments ahead of the rural employment framework’s nationwide rollout on July 1, 2026.
The Ministry of Rural Development said the draft rules have been framed under Section 33 and other relevant provisions of the Act and have been placed in the public domain to ensure a participatory consultation process before being finalised. The draft rules are available on the e-Gazette portal, where individuals, stakeholders, organisations and institutions can submit objections or suggestions by June 21.
The VB–G RAM G Act was notified on May 11, 2026, replacing the earlier Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) framework in a phased manner.
According to the ministry, the draft rules are aimed at creating the institutional, administrative, financial, and governance architecture needed to implement the new rural livelihoods and employment guarantee programme.
Among the draft rules released for consultation are the Transitional Provisions Rules, National Level Steering Committee Rules, Central Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council Rules, Administrative Expenses Rules, Grievance Redressal Rules, and rules governing payment of wages and unemployment allowance. The Centre has also issued draft norms related to expenditure incurred beyond normative allocations and financial arrangements for Union Territories without legislatures.
According to an official statement, the Transitional Provisions Rules, 2026 are intended to facilitate a smooth migration from the MGNREGA regime to the VB–G RAM G scheme, and to improve transparency, accountability and citizen-centric governance under the new framework.
These provisions include continuation of ongoing works, settlement of liabilities, validity of existing job cards, and interim fund arrangements until states formally notify and operationalise the new scheme.
The statement said that the Grievance Redressal Rules, 2026 propose a technology-enabled and time-bound grievance management mechanism with provisions for digital registration, tracking, escalation and appeals.
The government said the wider consultation exercise reflects its commitment to participatory governance and stakeholder engagement in shaping the implementation architecture of the jobs programme.
Meanwhile, in a related development, Rohit Kansal, Secretary of the Department of Rural Development (DoRD), chaired a meeting today to review preparedness for the rollout and operationalisation of the VB–G RAM G Act, 2025. Senior officers of the Ministry and representatives from states and UTs participated in the meeting.
The Centre said that adequate labour budget of over 45 crore persondays has been approved for June, 2026 to ensure employment availability and uninterrupted implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS till Commencement of VB–G RAM G Act on July 1, 2026.
That apart, mother sanctions worth around Rs 26,971 crore has been issued under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS towards different component for continued fund flow and implementation of works under the scheme.
