sharp decline IN VB-G RAM G PERSON DAY
In first month of VB-G RAM G, almost 50% year-on-year dip in rural jobs
sharp decline
Employment generation under the government’s revamped / नवीकरण rural job guarantee programme saw a sharp decline, registering a fall of 49.94 per cent year-on-year in July, as per official data.
SCHEME CHANGED
The drop came as the government transitioned from the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to the newly-launched Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, from July 1 this year.
49.94 per cent lower PERSON DAY as
Official data as on August 9 shows that only
- 7.67 crore person-days were generated under the VB-G RAM G scheme in July 2026 —
- which is 49.94 per cent lower
- as compared to 15.33 crore person-days generated under the MG-NREGS in the same month last year.
Person-day
is a unit of measurement based on an ideal amount of work done by a person in one working day.
While the VB-G RAM G dashboard shows 7.67 crore person-days in July, the Ministry of Rural Development said that around 9 crore person-days were generated during the first month of implementation of the scheme.
The number of households who availed the rural job guarantee scheme
came
- Dip by 51.45 per cent,
- Reached to 68.94 lakh, in July this year under the VB-G RAM G scheme.
- Under MGNREGS, the figure WAS 1.42 crore in the same month last year.
The number of households and person-days
under the rural jobs scheme have actually been the lowest in the last five years.
At 0.68 crore, the average number of households
that availed of the VB-G RAM G scheme is less than 40% of the average 1.72 crore households over the previous four years.
Similarly, this July’s person-days are also just 35% of 21.56 crore average person-days over the previous four years.
In March 2025
- 17.56 crore person-days were generated
- which was 0.70% lower
- Compare to 2024 - 17.69 crore person-days in March 2024.
continued till June 2026
This year-on-year decline in the monthly figure of employment generated under NREGS continued till June 2026, the last month of the UPA-era scheme.
The July slide
in employment generation under VB-G RAM G is significant in view of the erratic monsoon.
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), 50 per cent of the country’s 741 districts have reported deficit-to-serious-deficit rainfall from June 1 to August 3.
In such a situation, the rural job guarantee scheme becomes a fallback option for unskilled agricultural labourers.
Even though the new rural job guarantee scheme offers higher wages and more days of work, employment generation has slowed signi- ficantly.
This might impact rural demand — crucial for lifting the economy.
Due to the
- erratic monsoon,
- Kharif crop area coverage has fallen too,
- posing a challenge to overall agricultural output.
According to the Union Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare
area coverage under kharif crop was reported at
- 894.22 lakh hectare as on July 31, 2026 —
- which was 26.50 per cent lower as compared to 920.72 lakh hectares last year.
Sources said that one of the reasons for drop in employment generation
may be because of a pause in the scheme during the Kharif sowing season.
However, there is no data available about pauses in the sowing season.
GOV DATA
₹95,692 crore Budget for FY 2026–27
“To facilitate uninterrupted implementation, the Central Government has provided a record Budget estimate of ₹95,692 crore for FY 2026–27, the highest ever for any rural employment programme,” the official said.
98% demand fulfill
“Accordingly, the programme is being implemented effectively nationwide. More than 98% of rural households demanding employment have been offered work.
During the first month of implementation, around nine crore person-days have been generated,
with attendance
being captured through the NMMS using face authentication together with the prescribed exception-handling mechanism in genuine cases.
More than 1.33 crore rural workers
have been offered employment as per their demands for employment and works are being executed through more than nine lakh active worksites, ensuring adequate availability of employment opportunities,” the official said.
63% of the total person-days generated
The official added that around 63% of the total person-days generated so far have been contributed by women, one-third participation.
The VB-G RAM G scheme
provides for guarantee of 125 days wage employment to rural households during a financial year, up from 100 under the NREGS.
It also has a provision of pause in employment guarantee for “a total period aggregating to 60 days in a financial year, covering the peak agricultural seasons of sowing and harvesting” during which work will not be undertaken.
SOURCE IE
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