Sowing pause in seven states pulls VB-G RAM G person-days down 61% in July

VB-G RAM G work fell 61% in July as seven states paused the scheme for sowing, making year-on-year comparisons with MGNREGA difficult due to the new provision

The “Agriculture Pause Period” allowed under the newly launched VB G RAM G scheme was a key reason for the sharp decline in overall persondays generated in July compared with the same period last year under MGNREGA, government officials said, adding that a year-on-year comparison between the two programmes is not statistically valid.

 

VB G RAM G, which replaced MGNREGA from July 1, 2026, allows states to pause implementation for up to two months to facilitate sowing operations. So far, seven states — Bihar, Gujarat, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Sikkim and Nagaland — have exercised this provision. Bihar and Odisha are among the states with large rural labour populations.

 

"Last year, there was no provision for an Agriculture Pause Period under MGNREGA. This year, seven states have opted for the pause, during which no work is being undertaken. Therefore, any comparison with the corresponding period last year will naturally show lower figures due to this structural difference," an official said.

 

Officials said states such as Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Manipur and Mizoram — generated more persondays in July 2026 than in the corresponding period last year. Among the states that opted for the Agriculture Pause Period, only Mizoram recorded higher persondays than a year earlier.

 

“This also indicates that implementation of the programme has been progressing well in several states, with variations depending on local demand for employment, agricultural operations and implementation dynamics,” the official said.

 

“Hence, a direct year-on-year or month-on-month comparison between the two periods is not appropriate or statistically valid,” the official added.