MGNREGA is now VB-G RAM G: 125 days of work guaranteed, Kerala wage ₹401 a day
India's rural employment guarantee has a new name and a bigger promise. The Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 - VB-G RAM G - replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act across all rural areas from 1 July 2026, and raised the statutory guarantee from 100 to 125 days of wage employment per household every financial year. Existing MGNREGA job cards remain valid, and Kerala's notified wage under the new law is ₹401 a day. We checked the Ministry of Rural Development's new portal and its official documents on 29 October 2026.
Quick facts
- The guarantee: per the Ministry's official FAQ, the Act guarantees 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every eligible rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work - up from 100 days under MGNREGA.
- In force: the Act came into force across all rural areas of the country on 1 July 2026, and MGNREGA stands repealed from the same date. Ongoing MGNREGA works continue and are migrated under the new Act.
- Your job card: existing MGNREGA job cards and workers with completed e-KYC remain valid until new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards are issued. If your household has no job card, any adult member can apply to your Gram Panchayat with the names, ages and address of the household.
- Kerala wage: the Ministry's wage notification for FY 2026-27 (S.O. 3518(E), 30 June 2026) sets Kerala's rate at ₹401 a day - among the four wage regions above ₹400, alongside Haryana (₹409) and Goa (₹406). No notified wage anywhere is below the new ₹300 base rate.
- Timely work or allowance: employment must be given within 15 days of your demand, or the state owes you an unemployment allowance - at least a quarter of the wage rate for the first 30 days, and at least half after that.
- Payment rules: wages are paid weekly, and never later than a fortnight after the muster roll closes, directly to your bank or post office account by DBT. A delay beyond 15 days from muster closure earns 0.05% of unpaid wages per day as compensation.
- Attendance: worksite attendance is captured through face authentication, with an exception mechanism for poor network or device problems. Worksite facilities include drinking water, shade and a first-aid box.
- What gets built: works now focus on four areas - water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure and special works for extreme weather events.
What you can do on the new portal
The Ministry's new portal, vbgramg.dord.gov.in, replaces the old nrega.nic.in - the old site now announces "VB-G RAM G Website is Live" and offers a "Continue to old NREGASoft" link during the transition. On the new portal we verified these on 29 October 2026:
- Live dashboards: Scheme At a Glance, live daily attendance, MIS reports and attendance reports, open to everyone - the home page showed 10.96 crore active workers and 62.08% women's participation for 2026-27.
- Grievance redressal: a state-wise grievance page that lists Kerala - pick your state to reach its grievance portal.
- Mobile apps: JanGram (the citizen app) and the NMMS worker daily attendance app, both by NIC, linked from the portal's Mobile Apps menu.
- Documents: the Act text, the commencement notification, the FY 2026-27 wage rate notification, FAQs in English and Hindi, and scheme circulars.
To demand work under the new Act, adults can apply to the Gram Panchayat - orally, in writing (the same Form 6 as before), or through digital platforms - or to the Programme Officer or any authorised person.
Sources checked 29 October 2026:
- VB-G RAM G portal, Ministry of Rural Development (live dashboards, apps, grievance page - verified)
- Ministry of Rural Development: VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 - official FAQ (125 days, job card validity, allowances, payment timelines)
- Press Information Bureau, 30 June 2026: revised wage rates under VB-G RAM G (Kerala ₹401, ₹300 base rate, effective 1 July 2026)
Explainer by AiCoN - not a government publication. Details can change; check vbgramg.dord.gov.in.