MGNREGA stands for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Passed in 2005 as NREGA and renamed in 2009, it gave every rural household a legal right to up to 100 days of paid unskilled work a year.
How it worked
- A household registered at the Gram Panchayat and received a free job card.
- Adult members demanded work in writing and had to be given it within 15 days, or paid an unemployment allowance.
- Work was usually within 5 km of the village – ponds, roads, land development, plantations.
- Wages were paid directly into bank or post office accounts.
- Gram Sabhas carried out social audits of the works.
What replaced it
From 1 July 2026, MGNREGA was replaced by the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025. The guarantee rose to 125 days, the minimum wage became ₹300 a day in every state, and funding is now shared 60:40 between the Centre and states. Existing job cards remain valid.
NREGA, MGNREGA, MNREGA – are they different?
No. They are names and spellings for the same scheme. People also still say “NREGA” for VB-G RAM G.