It is not clear when the new system under the VB–G RAM G Act will be implemented in practice as the Center is still in talks with states to create the necessary framework. File. | Photo credit: The Hindu
For the past 87 days, MGNREGS workers have been protesting in Muzaffarpur district headquarters in Bihar. The Union government has assured them that until the Viksit Bharat-Garantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Bill, 2025, passed by Parliament in December, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) will continue unchanged. But workers on the ground say the story is very different.
The protest in Muzaffarpur started on January 2 this year. Nearly 12,000 workers in the district have been out of work for the past three to four months – even before the new Rural Employment Act was introduced.
It is not clear when the new system under the VB–G RAM G Act will be implemented in practice as the Center is still in talks with states to create the necessary framework.
“Instruction not to start new work”
“No work is usually done during the rains. We waited for the monsoon to end, then the waterlogged areas would dry up. December is normally the start of the MGNREGA season. But despite repeated requests, no work has been provided. This is a blatant violation of the law,” said Sanjay Sahni of MGNREGA Watch-Bihar, an organization working with rural workers.
Faced with repeated rejection, about 16,000 workers – mostly women – gathered at the district headquarters to demand work. When there was no response, the delegation left for Delhi on March 25 to meet senior officials of the Union Ministry of Rural Development.
“District officials say they have instructions not to start any new work. But ministry officials insist there is no such order,” Mr. Sahni said. He wonders if it is lack of information or if there is an informal signal from the Center to stop all MGNREGA work.
Lack of clarity
This uncertainty is not limited to Bihar. Similar complaints have surfaced in Rajasthan’s Dungarpur district. About 40 women workers arrived at Balwarha panchayat on the morning of March 23 to complete the paperwork for the April work cycle. Panchayat officials asked them to come back later, citing lack of clarity. On Saturday, they were told that MGNREGA had been discontinued and no more work would be available under the scheme.
A few kilometers away, in Padarmarhi Mewarha panchayat, nearly 30 women workers sat for four hours last Friday, demanding work for the first week of April. Local officials initially claimed that instructions had been issued not to start new MGNREGA works. After the women refused to leave, block level officials also arrived. The workers’ applications were eventually accepted, but uncertainty remains as to whether any work will actually be awarded.
“For each household, MGNREGA work brings in about ₹25,000 to ₹28,000 a year. The impact of inaccessibility is not uniform. In some female-headed households, MGNREGA and government pensions are the only source of income,” said Madhulika of the Rajasthan Asangathit Mazdoor Union (RAMU). The villages in this area are mostly tribal. Working in 13 villages and with around 900 registered workers, she said similar complaints are pouring in from many panchayats.
Formal orders versus ground reality
“There are no formal orders. In fact, the VB-G Ram G Act clearly states that until it is implemented, MGNREGA will continue. But we are being told otherwise on the ground,” she said.
In Rajasthan’s Beawar district, the situation is no different. On March 21, nearly 150 women who reached the Rawat Mal gram panchayat were told that officials were waiting for new forms under the new law.
“They did not receive Form 6, which workers have to submit to claim a job. Officials claimed that new forms as per VB–G Ram G were expected and no job could be offered until they arrived,” said Kanika of Beawar RAMU unit.
Published – 29 March 2026 19:59 IST
