India, May 11 -- The central government on Monday notified the implementation of a new rural employment law, the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), (VB-GRAMG), 2025, replacing the nearly two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new framework is set to take effect nationwide from July 1, 2026. A notification is a formal government order that gives legal force to a law. Once notified, states must begin preparing their systems, staff and schemes to roll out the new framework on the ground from the specified date.

The VB-GRAMG was introduced in the Lok Sabha on December 16, 2025, passed by the Lok Sabha on December 18, and cleared by the Rajya Sabha shortly after mi...