Parliament on Thursday gave its approval to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) Bill, popularly referred to as G RAM G, setting the stage for a major overhaul of India’s rural employment framework. The new legislation will phase out the nearly 20-year-old MGNREGA and assure up to 125 days of paid work annually for rural households.

The Bill was cleared by the Rajya Sabha through a voice vote after an intense debate that stretched late into the night, just hours after it secured passage in the Lok Sabha. Its approval triggered sharp resistance from opposition parties in both Houses.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the reform was necessary to fix long-standing weaknesses in the existing employment guarantee programme. He argued that the new framework would strengthen rural livelihoods, create durable assets and better align public spending with development goals.

Opposition parties, however, accused the government of diluting a landmark welfare scheme and objected strongly to the removal of Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the legislation. They also claimed the Centre was attempting to push more financial responsibility onto state governments.

In the Rajya Sabha, opposition MPs shouted slogans, demanded the withdrawal of the Bill and tore copies of the legislation during the debate. Several members walked out during the voting process, prompting Chairman CP Radhakrishnan to caution them against disorderly conduct near the treasury benches.

Following the Bill’s passage, opposition parties staged protests outside the Samvidhan Sadan within the Parliament complex. They alleged the law would weaken the rural economy and announced plans to take the issue to the streets nationwide. Trinamool Congress lawmakers began a 12-hour sit-in protest on the steps of the building.

Opposition leaders also pressed for the legislation to be sent to a Parliamentary Standing Committee, arguing that such a sweeping change required deeper scrutiny.

Responding to a marathon debate in the Upper House, Chouhan defended the Bill as critical for employment creation, village-level infrastructure and overall national development. He accused the Congress of politicising Mahatma Gandhi’s legacy while failing to uphold his principles in practice.

According to the minister, the earlier employment scheme suffered from corruption and inefficiencies during the UPA years, with funds often underutilised or poorly deployed. He further claimed that Gandhi’s name was added to the programme years after its launch for political advantage.

Similar scenes of disruption played out in the Lok Sabha earlier in the day, where opposition MPs shouted slogans and tore papers while accusing the government of betraying Gandhian values and harming rural livelihoods.

Chouhan told the House that the new mission was the outcome of extensive consultations and would involve an investment of ₹10–11 lakh crore. The funds, he said, would be channelled into water conservation, essential rural infrastructure, livelihood assets and projects aimed at reducing the impact of extreme weather.

With the Bill now cleared by Parliament, the government has signalled a decisive shift in how rural employment and development programmes will be structured in the years ahead.