Path to Resilient Livelihoods

The new rural employment reform links social protection with climate adaptation, positioning wage programmes as engines of resilience, sustainability and inclusive rural growth

- VIBHA DHAWAN

The G RAM G Act signals a strategic shift in how India views rural employment — no longer just welfare, but a platform for resilience, sustainability and future-ready infrastructure

For close to two decades, rural employment programmes have been central to India’s social security architecture. Since its enactment in 2005, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has provided income security to rural households, expanded women’s participation in the workforce, and contributed to the creation of essential community assets. As rural India undergoes rapid economic, technological, and environmental change, there is now an urgent need to further strengthen this framework to respond to emerging challenges and opportunities.

‘The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, reflects this evolution. By reforming the rural employment guarantee framework, the Act recognises that sustained rural prosperity must be anchored not only in employment generation but also in the conservation of natural resources, resilience to climate risks, and preservation of livelihoods. This integrated approach is relevant at a time when rural communities are increasingly exposed to climate variability, extreme weather events, and resource stress.

A defining feature of the GRAM G Act is its focus on aligning wage employment with four priority domains: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and works for the mitigation of extreme weather events. This marks an important reinforcement of the environmental and resilient dimensions of rural employment policy.