After dropping by almost 40 per cent in July, work demand under the newly launched VB G RAM G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen)), which replaced MGNREGA from July 1 across India, staged a smart recovery, rising by almost 4.4 per cent to 12.4 million households in August 2026 compared with the same period last year under MGNREGA.
The rise in work demand came even as sowing activities continued in full flow in several parts of the country despite a dip in active monsoon conditions, as the distribution was fairly widespread.
The IMD said the southwest monsoon in August 2026 was cumulatively around 16.3 per cent below normal across India, but acreage under kharif crops till the end of August was 1.7 per cent lower than last year and 3 per cent less than the normal acreage, which is the average area covered during the last five years.
First Published: Sep 07 2026 | 7:38 PM IST
