VB-G RAM G Act Risks and Concerns on Women's Employment

A NEWS to mdias rurar job guarantee architecture is automatically a women's employment story—because women are not peripheral participants in this labor market, they are often its majority.

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Official government communication has noted that women’s participation under MGNREGA has been around the high-50% range in recent years, with figures such as 58.15% cited for FY 2024-25, alongside large absolute participation numbers. Is why the newly passed VB-GRAM G framework—positioned as a replacement for MGNRE-GA—has triggered immediate debate over whether it strengthens livelihood security or reshapes it in ways that may unintentionally narrow women's access?

On paper, the headline change looks pro-worker: the statutory guarantee rises from 100 to 125 days of wage employment per rural household, while retaining the unemployment allowance requirement if work is not provided within 15 days. The Bill also reiterates nondiscrimination on gender grounds and embeds work site provisions that matter directly to women—safe drinking water, shade for children, first aid, and a childcare arrangement: if five or more children under five accompany women workers at a site, one woman can be deputed for childcare and paid wages.