India Notifies MGNREGA Replacement for 125-Day Jobs

New Delhi, India - The Indian government on Monday notified the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin Act, 2025, which will replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act across all states and Union Territories starting July 1, 2026.

The Ministry of Rural Development issued two notifications confirming that the two-decade-old MGNREGA, enacted in 2005, will be repealed on that date. The new legislation increases the guaranteed wage employment for rural households from 100 days to 125 days per financial year. Parliament passed the bill on December 19, 2025, with President Droupadi Murmu granting assent two days later.

Union Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced the move during a media interaction in Bhopal. "Starting July 1, our brothers and sisters seeking employment in rural areas will be employed for 125 days per year, not 100 under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin Act," he said. Chouhan emphasized a seamless transition, with ongoing MGNREGA projects as of June 30 continuing under the new framework. Existing eKYC-verified job cards will remain valid until new Gramin...