Worker rolls shrink by 67.6 lakh in first fortnight after MGNREGS transition, finds LibTech
A report by LibTech India indicates a significant reduction in registered and active workers following the transition from MGNREGS to the new VB-G RAM G scheme. Government officials dispute these findings, attributing the decline to routine record updates and verification processes rather than systemic exclusion.
Why it matters
The transition of a massive rural employment guarantee scheme affects the livelihoods of millions, making the accuracy of worker rolls a critical issue for social welfare policy.
In the fortnight following the transition from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G), the number of registered workers fell from 27 crore to 26.33 crore, a net reduction of 67.6 lakh workers, or 2.5% of the total workforce enrolled under the rural employment programme, according to an analysis by LibTech India, a consortium of academics and activists.
The number of active workers — those who have worked at least once in the last three years under the programme — also fell, from 10.84 crore to 10.57 crore, a decline of about 26.3 lakh workers (2.43%).
On July 1, 2026, the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, (VB G RAM G) 2025, came into force, replacing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005.
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