Rajasthan CM launches VB-G Ram Ji Act 2025, boosting rural jobs, weekly wages, and permanent infrastructure while addressing MGNREGA gaps.
Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma addressed a news conference at the CMO to discuss the name change and new guidelines for MGNREGA. He outlined the advantages of the developed Bharat Ji Ram Yojana.
During the press briefing, Chief Minister Bhajanlal stated that the India-Rozgar and Livelihood Mission (Gramin) Guarantee Act, 2025, introduced by the central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership is a historic step toward providing rural employment and livelihoods.
He stated that the VB-G Ram Ji Act will result in the creation of permanent and high-quality properties in rural areas. The bill would link rural employment strategy to a development roadmap for India, and Rajasthan will benefit fully from it.
A direct attack on Congress.
The CM stated that MGNREGA was implemented with the intention of ensuring employment in rural regions, but due to the Congress government’s poor administration and corruption, it was unable to reach its full potential. People’s money could not be spent effectively.
The Chief Minister stated that the majority of the work done under MGNREGA could not be linked to the villages’ overall development projects due to the Congress’s misguided intentions. These comprised temporary roadways, inadequate water systems, and unplanned soil construction that served no long-term purpose.
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The Chief Minister stated that because there is no solid system in place to detect inconsistencies in fake and duplicate work cards, fictitious beneficiaries, falsified attendance, and wage payments under MGNREGA, the social audit has become a mere formality. The concept could not be implemented effectively because the administrative spending cap was just 6%. At the same time, provisions such as unemployment benefits and reimbursement for late payments were limited to documents.
“All the shortcomings have been removed”
According to Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, the new VB-G Ram Ji Act-2025 addresses all of these issues. The legal guarantee for annual employment has been expanded from 100 to 125 days. He stated that farmers and laborers are complementary to one another. Many small farmers work as labourers in addition to farming. In order to provide additional benefits to workers on agricultural days, this law grants state governments the authority to establish a 60-day work break.
He stated that the initiative will fund concrete and long-term projects in the areas of water resources, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and disaster management. Modern technology such as geotagging, satellite photography, mobile apps, and artificial intelligence will be used to assure transparency. Every six months, a social audit will be required, including digital facts. In addition, a fixed-time digital multi-level grievance redressal system and a district ombudsman have been established.
The Chief Minister stated that under the Act, it will be mandatory to pay wages every week, and that if there are delays of more than two weeks, automatic compensation will be provided. The administrative spending limit has been raised to 9% to enable enough staffing, technical expertise, training, and effective monitoring.
“The budget will be fixed”
He stated that the VB-G Ram Ji Act will include a clear and fixed budget for each year, based on a sustainable and accountable financial model. The system of supplying employment based on demand will continue as before. The states are scheduled to get a total of 17 thousand crore rupees.
“Congress trying to spread confusion.”
Sharma claimed that the Congress was attempting to disseminate misinformation about this historic change, which is a model of cooperative federalism in which 40% of the states’ participation will boost accountability. He claimed that the Congress is creating the illusion of less labor, whereas in reality, the new law will be implemented gradually based on the genuine needs of the villages. Joining PM Gati Shakti would also result in the construction of water, permanent roads, and other vital infrastructure in the villages.
It is both your and our responsibility to expose the Congress’ misleading and deceptive claims. At the same time, the benefits of the VB-G Ram Ji Act-2025, which Prime Minister Narendra Modi introduced in the public interest, must be communicated to the people.