Discuss the significance of repealing MGNREGA via a new Act rather than amending it.

Q. Discuss the significance of repealing MGNREGA via a new Act rather than amending it. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The VB–G RAM G Act, 2025, which received Presidential assent in December 2025 [3] and came into force on 1 July 2026, does not amend MGNREGA, 2005 but repeals it outright [1]. The choice of legislative instrument is itself significant, marking a shift from an incremental rights-based statute to a mission-based development framework.

Why the route matters legally and politically - A repeal-and-replace extinguishes the parent statute rather than layering onto it, allowing a fresh architecture — new definitions, institutions and delivery norms — instead of amendments constrained by MGNREGA's original design [2]. - It permits a symbolic and ideological reset: the guarantee is re-anchored to the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision rather than to the 2005 rights-discourse framing [1]. - It required full parliamentary passage, giving the new law independent democratic legitimacy rather than the thinner scrutiny an amendment Bill usually attracts [2].

Substantive changes the new Act enables - Statutory guarantee raised from 100 to 125 days per rural household annually [1]. - Administrative expenditure ceiling raised from 6% to 9%, addressing chronic staffing and capacity deficits — a structural fix difficult to graft onto the old Act [2]. - A Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack aggregates works into a unified national asset framework, alongside a ₹7.5 lakh crore five-year outlay [2][5].

Concerns the route raises - Two decades of judicial interpretation, rules and administrative precedent built around MGNREGA lose their statutory anchor, creating transition uncertainty — hence the ₹95,692.31 crore interim allocation for a "seamless transition" [1]. - Critics argue a rights-based entitlement risks dilution when reframed as a mission, and that amendment could have delivered the same gains with continuity [2].

The repeal route is therefore less a technical drafting choice than a statement of policy philosophy — trading legal continuity for design freedom. Its success will depend on whether the enhanced days, funding and administrative headroom translate into demand-driven work on the ground. Preserving MGNREGA's justiciable core within this new architecture would align the Mission with Article 41's promise of the right to work and with SDG-8 on decent work.

(~330 words)

Sources: 1. Viksit Bharat–G RAM G Act, 2025 — PIB — Act in force 01.07.2026, MGNREGA repealed, 125-day guarantee, ₹95,692.31 crore interim allocation, Viksit Bharat @2047 alignment 2. The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 — PRS Legislative Research — replacement of MGNREGA, parliamentary passage, administrative ceiling 6%→9%, National Rural Infrastructure Stack, cost-sharing pattern 3. President gives assent to the VB–G RAM G Bill, 2025 — PIB — Presidential assent, December 2025 4. VB–G RAM G Act to come into force from July 1, 2026 — PIB — commencement date and worker safeguards 5. National launch of the VB–G RAM G Mission — PIB — ₹7.5 lakh crore five-year outlay, national rollout