VB-G RAM G 2026: 125 days rural job guarantee, progress till 24 September, average wage ₹300-450 a day

VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat - Rozgar and Ajeevika Guarantee Mission, Gramin), the law that replaced Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, gives rural households a legal guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year. The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 came into force on 1 July 2026. A PIB Backgrounder dated 24 October 2026 says that from 1 July to 24 September 2026 there were 10.88 crore active workers, 31.69 crore person-days of work, 2.83 lakh assets created and an average wage of ₹300-450 a day. For 2026-27 the Centre made an interim allocation of ₹93,841 crore, of which ₹25,880 crore has been released as the first instalment. The Backgrounder does not describe how a household applies for work.

What is VB-G RAM G and when did it start?

Viksit Bharat - Rozgar and Ajeevika Guarantee Mission (Gramin), short VB-G RAM G, is the rural employment law described in a PIB Backgrounder dated 24 October 2026. The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 came into force on 1 July 2026.

The Backgrounder says the change from Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to VB-G RAM G happened without any disruption and that the digital systems needed for the new framework were working from the start. It has been introduced across all rural areas of the country.

How many days of work does the law guarantee?

The law gives a legal guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year. The guarantee applies to all rural households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.

The Backgrounder states the guarantee in law. It does not say how many days of work a household has actually received on average, and it does not describe the application process, the time within which work must be given, or any allowance if work is not given. For these, ask your gram panchayat.

What kind of work is done under the mission?

The mission focuses on four areas: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure, and protection from extreme weather events. Work is planned through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans (VGPP), which each gram panchayat prepares with the gram sabha.

The VGPP framework identifies 318 types of permissible works across the four areas. The process starts with asset mapping, a list of existing assets and gaps in infrastructure and services, including assets built under other central and state schemes. Planning uses GIS, PM Gati Shakti and other digital tools. The gram sabha gives the recommendation and approval for the plans, and the village plans are linked up to block, district, state and national levels.

What progress has been made till 24 September 2026?

The Backgrounder gives these all-India figures from 1 July 2026 to 24 September 2026.

Indicator	Figure
Active workers in 2026-27	10.88 crore
Assets created	2.83 lakh
Person-days of work provided	More than 31.69 crore
Women’s participation in 2026-27	61.65 percent
People given work on demand	More than 2.81 crore, from about 2.23 crore rural households
Works in progress	97.17 lakh
Works sanctioned for future demand	73.24 lakh
Active worksites	About 20.16 lakh
Gram panchayats working	About 2.31 lakh
DBT transactions in 2026-27	3.76 crore
Average wage rate	₹300-450 a day
Job cards issued	15.17 crore

These are national totals only. State-wise figures are not given.

How much money has the Centre set aside for 2026-27?

For financial year 2026-27 the Backgrounder says a total of ₹93,841 crore has been allocated to states and Union Territories as an interim allocation. Out of this, ₹25,880 crore has been released to them as the first instalment of the mother sanction (the main sanction).

The Backgrounder does not give the final allocation for the year, the state-wise split, or the date of the next instalment.

How do e-KYC, attendance and payment work?

The Backgrounder says technology plays a key role.

• Verification: workers are verified by e-KYC, and attendance is recorded through face authentication and biometric authentication.
• Monitoring of work: geo-tagging, digital measurement, electronic Measurement Books (e-MB) and mobile-based monitoring are used at different stages.
• Payment: wages are paid by Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT); there were 3.76 crore DBT transactions in 2026-27 till the date of the figures.
• Oversight: real-time dashboards and AI-based analytics support monitoring and corrective action.

So a worker should keep the job card and bank account details ready, and be prepared for e-KYC and face or biometric attendance at the worksite.

What should a rural household do?

1. Contact your gram panchayat office to ask how a household registers, gets a job card and demands work in your state. The Backgrounder does not describe these steps.
2. Check that your job card and bank account details are correct, since wages come by DBT.
3. Take part in the gram sabha, which gives recommendations and approval for the village plan.
4. Read the Backgrounder on pib.gov.in (Release ID 2327846) and the ministry portal vbgramg.dord.gov.in.
5. Do not pay anyone to get work or a job card, and do not share OTPs.

What does the Backgrounder not say?

The Backgrounder does not state:

• how a household applies for work or a job card, or how fast work must be given;
• the wage payment timeline, or any unemployment allowance rule;
• state-wise wage rates or progress; it gives only an all-India average of ₹300-450 a day;
• how many households actually got the full 125 days;
• what happens to old Mahatma Gandhi NREGA job cards;
• the final allocation for 2026-27 or the next instalment date.

For state rules, rates and complaints, use your state rural development department and the official portal.