"MGNREGA Reimagined: The High Stakes of India’s New VB-G RAM G Employment Act"
The VB-G RAM G Act (Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission - Gramin) of 2025 has become the center of a major legal and political firestorm in India. As it officially replaces the two-decade-old MGNREGA, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Madras High Court today, February 15, 2026, has brought the law's most controversial provisions under judicial scrutiny. The Core of the Dispute: Reform or Rollback? The lawsuit challenges eight specific provisions of the new Act, with petitioners arguing that the law dismantles the "right to work" and replaces it with a "discretionary dole." 1. The Funding Shift (60:40 Split) Under the original MGNREGA, the Central Government funded 100% of unskilled wages. The New Law: The Centre now provides only 60% of the total funds, leaving States to cover the remaining 40%. The Lawsuit's Argument: Petitioners claim this places a "catastrophic" financial burden on poorer states, which may lead ...