Government will present ‘VB Ji Ram Ji’ bill today, know special things in 10 points?

Modi government is going to play a big gamble in the Parliament today to change the picture of the villages of the country. ‘MGNREGA’, which has been the backbone of rural employment for the last 20 years, is now going to become history. The government is ready to introduce ‘Developed India Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural)’ i.e. VB-G RAM G Bill, 2025 in its place. Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chauhan will present this bill in the Lok Sabha. The government claims that this new law will be a modern framework to fulfill the dream of ‘Developed India 2047’. In this, working days have been increased, technology has been used and special attention has been paid to the farming season.

Know the special features of ‘VB Ji Ram Ji’ bill in 10 points

1. Not 100, now work is guaranteed for 125 days. The biggest change has been made in the number of working days. While under MNREGA there was a guarantee of 100 days of employment in a year, under the new law now every rural family will get a guarantee of 125 days of unskilled manual labor in a financial year.
2. Funding formula changed: States will have to give relaxation. Central government used to pay 100% of the wages in MNREGA. But it has been changed in the new bill. Now the expenses will be borne jointly by the Center and the state. General State: 60% Center and 40% State. North-Eastern and Himalayan States: 90% Center and 10% State. Union Territory (without Legislative Assembly): 100% expenditure will be borne by the Centre.
3. ‘Break’ at work during farming season Farmers often complain that they do not get laborers at the time of sowing and harvesting because they are working under MNREGA. There is a provision in this bill that the state governments will declare ‘peak agriculture season’ (sowing-harvesting time), during which work under this scheme will remain closed so that the farmers can get labourers.
4. If someone does not get work, he will get unemployment allowance within 15 days. If someone asks for work and is not given work within 15 days, he will get ‘unemployment allowance’. This allowance will have to be given by the state government. For the first 30 days: One-fourth of the fixed wages. For the remaining time: Half of the fixed wages.
5. There will be complete focus on four things. The government wants that not only pits should be dug, but concrete work should be done. Therefore, 4 priorities have been decided. Water Security: Ponds, Irrigation, Water Conservation. Village infrastructure: Roads, Panchayat building, Anganwadi. Livelihood: Market, grain warehouse, training center. And Climate Adaptation: Disaster Resilience.
6. Budget will now be available not on ‘demand’ but on ‘quota’. MNREGA was ‘demand-driven’, meaning the Center had to pay as much money as there was demand. But in the new bill, the central government will decide a budget (Normative Allocation) for the states every year. If the state spends more than that, then the state government will have to pay that extra money from its own pocket.
7. Attendance and payment will be hi-tech, digital ecosystem will be created to stop corruption. Biometric attendance, work monitoring through GPS and Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be used for planning and audit. The aim is that the money should go directly into the account of the right person.
8. How much will be the wages? The wage rate will be decided by the Central Government through notification. It is clearly written in the bill that this rate will not be less than the existing MNREGA rates. Until new rates are introduced, only the old MNREGA wages will continue to be paid.
9. New rule will have to be made in four months. Within 6 months of the passing and implementation of the bill, all the state governments will have to make their plans according to this new law.
10. ‘National Rural Infrastructure Stack’ Under this scheme, the complete data of whatever property (pond, road, building) will be built in the village will be kept in a ‘National Stack’ (digital database). This will show how much development has taken place in which villages of the country.