MGNREGA Is Now VB-G RAM G: What Changed for Rural Workers on 1 July

Last updated: 30 October 2026

In most villages people still call it “NREGA”, and the panchayat staff often do too. That is fine. On paper, though, a new law has been in force since 1 July 2026, known by its short name VB-G RAM G. The legal details are on our VB-G RAM G page; this post sticks to what matters to a working household.

The big one: 125 days instead of 100

A household used to be guaranteed 100 days of work a year. It is now 125. If the family keeps asking for work, that is 25 more days of wages a year.

One catch: during the busiest farming season a state can pause the scheme for up to 60 days, so that farms are not short of hands. Each state decides which 60 days. If the panchayat says “no work right now” at sowing or harvest time, this may be why.

No wage below ₹300

Unskilled work now pays at least ₹300 a day in every state, and more in several – ₹409 in Haryana and ₹401 in Kerala, for instance. Check your state on the wage rate page, which also has a calculator.

Keep your old job card

This is the question we hear most. A valid job card issued earlier carries over to the new law. Nobody needs to pay for a “new card”. If someone asks for money, ask the panchayat or the block office directly.

Work within 15 days of asking

This rule was there before and it is still there. Once you ask for work in writing, you should get it within 15 days; if not, you are entitled to an unemployment allowance. So always ask in writing and keep the dated receipt – our work demand form prints one for you.

A new website

Job card lists, attendance and payments now live on vbgramg.dord.gov.in. Plenty of people still go looking on the old nrega.nic.in and come away empty-handed. The steps are on our job card list guide.

Who pays, and why it matters to you

The Centre and the states now share the cost 60:40 (90:10 in the North-East and Himalayan states). For a worker this mostly means that a delayed payment can be raised at both the state and block level. Social audits are due every six months – go to the Gram Sabha and ask about your work and wages. That is your right.

What hasn’t changed

Job cards still come free from the Gram Panchayat. Attendance still goes on the muster roll, and wages still go straight into a bank or post office account. Day to day, the work looks much the same – what changed is the name, the number of days and the wage.