MGNREGS Workdays Drop to Decade Low

The average number of workdays provided to rural households under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has dropped to 43 days in the fiscal year 2025-26, the lowest in a decade.

This is a decrease from 50 days in the previous year.

The government has replaced MGNREGS with a new programme called VB-G RAM G, which guarantees 125 days of employment instead of 100 days.

The new programme focuses on water security, rural infrastructure, and mitigating extreme weather events.

The government has allocated a significant budget for this new programme, but opposition parties and civil society organizations have criticized the move, saying it weakens the rights-based framework of MGNREGS.