India, Jan. 5 -- Public debate on public policy is essential in a democracy. Laws that shape livelihoods - particularly for rural households - deserve the closest scrutiny. However, such scrutiny must be grounded in a careful reading of what a new law actually provides, rather than in assumptions drawn from earlier frameworks or from what critics fear might be lost. Much of the criticism surrounding the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025 risks falling into this trap.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted two decades ago, played an important role in stabilising rural incomes and offering a measure of security during periods of distress. Its cont...