Average MGNREGS workdays fell to 43 in FY26, lowest in decade: Govt

The average number of days of employment provided to rural households under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme fell to 43 in 2025-26, the lowest in a decade, according to data shared by the government in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, replying to a starred question, said the average number of workdays per household declined from 50 in 2024-25 to 43 in 2025-26. The average stood at 24 days in the current financial year as of June 2026.

The data showed that the average number of workdays provided under the scheme has remained well below the statutory guarantee of 100 days. The average has fluctuated between 38 and 52 days since 2008-09.

The highest average of 52 days was recorded in 2020-21 and again in 2023-24, while households received an average of 50 days of employment in 2024-25. In 2008-09, the first year for which data was provided, the average stood at 38 days.

Chouhan said MGNREGS has now been replaced by the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025.

The new law provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household willing to undertake unskilled manual work, compared with 100 days under MGNREGS, he said.

The minister said the new programme had expanded its focus to water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and mitigation of extreme weather events, while promoting convergence with central and state government schemes.

The Centre has allocated Rs 95,692.31 crore for the programme for the nine-month period from July 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, Chouhan said. Including the states' share, the total outlay is expected to exceed Rs 1.51 lakh crore.

The annual budgetary requirement for providing 125 days of employment would depend on factors including actual demand for work, wage rates, the nature of work, material expenditure and administrative costs, he said.

The Centre replaced MGNREGS with VB-G RAM G through legislation enacted last year. The new programme increases the statutory employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days, while the government says it is aimed at strengthening rural employment and creating durable assets.

Opposition parties and several civil society organisations have criticised the move, arguing that it weakens the rights-based framework of MGNREGS.