G RAM G Bill To Replace MNREGA Passed In Lok Sabha Amid Uproar By Opposition

The Lok Sabha on Thursday cleared the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), also known as the VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025, amid intense protests from Opposition parties. The legislation, which seeks to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), triggered heated exchanges in the House, with Opposition leaders alleging that the government was undermining Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy and weakening the rural right-to-work framework.

Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan defended the new law, accusing the Congress of politicising Mahatma Gandhi’s name. He argued that the original employment scheme did not include Gandhi’s name and that it was added later for electoral gains ahead of the 2009 general elections. Chouhan maintained that the Narendra Modi-led government had strengthened rural employment implementation while simultaneously advancing Gandhian ideals through various welfare initiatives.

Responding to criticism during the eight-hour-long debate, Chouhan said the NDA government was upholding Gandhi’s principles through programmes such as PM Awas Yojana, Ujjwala, Swachh Bharat Mission and Ayushman Bharat. He also rejected Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi’s charge that the Centre frequently renames schemes arbitrarily, pointing out that several welfare programmes continue to bear the names of Jawaharlal Nehru and Mahatma Gandhi.

As the bill was taken up for passage, Opposition MPs stormed the well of the House, raised slogans, tore copies of the legislation and threw them towards the Speaker’s chair. Following the disruption, Speaker Om Birla adjourned the Lok Sabha for the day after the bill was passed.

Earlier, Opposition lawmakers had staged a protest march within the Parliament complex demanding the withdrawal of the bill. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge described the legislation as an insult to Mahatma Gandhi and claimed it weakened a law that had played a crucial role in improving rural livelihoods. Senior Congress leader Sonia Gandhi also joined the protest at Makar Dwar.

The newly passed G RAM G Bill guarantees 125 days of wage employment each year to every rural household whose adult members opt for unskilled manual work. The law also requires state governments to bring their existing schemes in line with the new framework within six months of its implementation.