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VB–G RAM G Bill 2025: Another major change is proposed regarding the use of technology. The new draft includes provisions such as AI-based audits, GPS monitoring, and digital surveillance.

VB–G RAM G Bill 2025 Explained: The renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), considered the backbone of rural employment, to "Developed India–Ji Ram Ji 2025" has sparked debate in the country's political and policy circles. When Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan introduced the bill in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the opposition questioned the government's intentions. The question is whether this change is limited to the name alone or whether it is an attempt to reshape the rural employment system.

What is the Developed India-Ji Ram Ji Scheme?

In fact, MNREGA was launched in 2005 during the UPA government, with the aim of guaranteeing minimum employment to every needy family in rural areas. This scheme provided 100 days of employment, and approximately 90 percent of its costs were borne by the central government. Now, the proposed "Vikas Bharat – Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural)," or VB-Ji Ram Ji Yojana, is changing this framework. The new bill calls for increasing the employment guarantee to 125 days, which is claimed to stabilize the income of rural families.

The government argues that the socio-economic conditions of rural India have undergone significant changes over the past 20 years, and that laws like the MNREGA need to be modernized to suit the times. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, this new law has been drafted with the goal of "Developed India 2047" in mind, so that the rural economy can be expanded beyond mere wage labor to livelihoods and self-reliance.

Will there be any change?

However, the most significant and controversial change in this scheme concerns the funding pattern. While the central government previously covered 90 percent of the MNREGA expenditure, the VB-Ji Ram Ji scheme now proposes reducing the central government's contribution to 60 percent, with the remaining 40 percent borne by state governments. This is expected to increase financial pressure on the states. However, the government has offered relief to the northeastern and Himalayan states by maintaining the old 90:10 formula.

Another major change is the proposed use of technology. The new framework includes provisions such as AI-based audits, GPS monitoring, and digital surveillance. The government claims this will curb fraud and ensure proper use of funds. However, critics fear this could impact the privacy and personal freedom of rural laborers, especially since most of the workers employed under the scheme are unskilled and come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

What do experts say?

Senior journalist Ruman Hashmi believes this change isn't just a name change, but rather a larger strategy may be behind it. He says that changing the name of a scheme, along with spending crores of rupees on publicity, rebranding, and new systems, requires the government to clarify what additional benefits this change will provide to workers on the ground. He also questions whether AI and GPS-based monitoring could become a means of additional pressure or control for workers.

Currently, approximately 83 million workers are employed under MNREGA. Therefore, building broad political and social consensus was essential before making such a major change to the scheme. Opposition leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, say the government should have discussed this issue in detail outside of Parliament.

Overall, the transition from MNREGA to the Vikasita Bharat – Ji Ram Ji Yojana seems to be more than just a name change. It encompasses several elements, such as increased employment days, changes in funding patterns, and technical monitoring, that could transform the landscape of rural India. The question is whether this change will truly make life easier for rural laborers or will it simply be a new name for a new policy—only time will tell.