The Centre has notified revised wage rates under the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 — also known as ‘VB-G RAM G’ — with the new rates coming into effect from Wednesday, July 1, coinciding with the nationwide commencement of the Act.File: Farmers sprinkle fertiliser over crops on the outskirts of Amritsar. (AFP)The revised wage structure introduces a ₹300 per day interim base wage, ensuring that no worker under the programme receives less than ₹300 daily. The government said the move is aimed at raising rural incomes, reducing wage disparities between states and strengthening livelihood security."Under the leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, our Government is committed to ensuring that the benefits of development reach every poor family. The commencement of the VB-G RAM G Act is a historic step towards building a Viksit Bharat through prosperous villages," a PIB release quoted as saying Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Union minister for rural development and agriculture & farmers welfare.He added, "Along with expanding the employment guarantee to 125 days, we have ensured better wages for rural workers. The largest increase has been provided to States where wages were historically lower, so that those who need the greatest support benefit the most."According to the government, wage rates have been increased across all 34 states, Union Territories and wage regions, with the national average wage rising from ₹298.8 per day under MGNREGA to ₹327.4 per day under VB-G RAM G - an increase of ₹28.6 per day.The average increase in wages across the country is over 10 per cent, the Centre said.Full list of revised VB-G RAM G wage rates (from July 1, 2026)State/UT Revised daily wage (?)Andhra Pradesh ₹307Arunachal Pradesh ₹300Assam ₹300Bihar ₹300Chhattisgarh ₹300Goa ₹406Gujarat ₹316Haryana ₹409Himachal Pradesh ₹328Jammu & Kashmir ₹329Jharkhand ₹300Karnataka ₹349Kerala ₹401Ladakh ₹300Madhya Pradesh ₹300Maharashtra ₹312Manipur ₹300Meghalaya ₹300Mizoram ₹300Nagaland ₹300Odisha ₹300Punjab ₹336Rajasthan ₹308Sikkim ₹450 (High Altitude Gram Panchayats)Tamil Nadu ₹336Telangana ₹307Tripura ₹300Uttar Pradesh ₹300Uttarakhand ₹300West Bengal ₹300Andaman & Nicobar Islands ₹300Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu ₹300Lakshadweep ₹300Puducherry ₹300The government said 21 states and administrative units that earlier had wages below ₹300 have now been brought up to the new benchmark. Before the revision, the lowest notified wage under the rural employment programme was ₹241 per day."The revised wage structure has been designed to ensure that the greatest gains accrue to States that historically had lower wage rates," the Centre said.Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland recorded the highest percentage increase, at nearly 24.5 per cent, while significant hikes were also announced for states including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Tripura, West Bengal, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.States that already had higher wage rates also received upward revisions. After the notification, Haryana ( ₹409), Goa ( ₹406), Kerala (Rs401) and Sikkim's high altitude gram panchayats ( ₹450) have crossed the ₹400 per day mark.The government said the revised rates were calculated through a "transparent and objective methodology" combining annual indexation with the newly introduced interim base wage.The VB-G RAM G Act expands guaranteed wage employment to 125 days for every eligible rural household. The Centre said the combination of longer employment guarantee and higher wages will boost rural purchasing power, strengthen incomes and support creation of rural assets."This historic wage revision will strengthen rural livelihoods, increase purchasing power and accelerate inclusive development across rural India," Chouhan said.