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Regularise MGNREGA Employees Under VB-G RAM G: Punjab Minister to Centre

UPSC / SSC current affairs note · Polity

PolityGovernanceSocial JusticeEconomy

Why in news

Punjab rural development minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond has written to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan demanding regularisation of MGNREGA employees under the new VB-G RAM G scheme, which replaced MGNREGA from July 1, 2026. The move highlights concerns over job security and financial burden on states.

Background

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was a central scheme guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households. It was replaced nationwide by the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G) scheme from July 1, 2026.

Key facts

in5points

  1. Punjab minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond wrote to Union agriculture minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on July 19, 2026.

  2. Sond demanded regularisation of MGNREGA employees under the new VB-G RAM G scheme.

  3. He called for a uniform national policy guaranteeing job security for these employees.

  4. Over 2,100 MGNREGA employees in Punjab, including technical assistants, gram rozgar sahayaks, and computer operators, are affected.

  5. These employees have been working under the central scheme for the last 18 years.

  6. The VB-G RAM G scheme officially replaced MGNREGA nationwide from July 1, 2026.

  7. Sond questioned the Centre's decision to shift the financial burden of the new scheme onto states.

  8. Employees have refused to shift to the new scheme due to lack of regularisation certainty.

  9. Sond reaffirmed the Punjab government's support for the employees' demand for permanent employment.

Prelims pointers

  • MGNREGA: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
  • VB-G RAM G: Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin
  • MGNREGA replaced by VB-G RAM G from July 1, 2026
  • Punjab rural development and panchayat minister: Tarunpreet Singh Sond
  • Union agriculture minister: Shivraj Singh Chouhan
  • Gram rozgar sahayak: a functionary under MGNREGA

Mains angles

  • Discuss the implications of replacing MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G on rural employment and state finances.
  • Critically examine the demand for regularisation of MGNREGA workers in the context of contractual employment in government schemes.
  • Analyze the centre-state financial burden sharing in social welfare schemes and its impact on implementation.