Rural job card and asking for work (VB-G RAM G, formerly MGNREGA)
From 1 July 2026, VB-G RAM G replaced MGNREGA: how to get the new job card (Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card), ask for work, and what to do if work or wages do not come.
About this guidePending verification
Published on 12-11-2026. Not every fact has been checked against its official source yet: confirm at the office.
For whom: Adults (18 and over) in rural households in Andhra Pradesh who are willing to do unskilled manual work.
Answer the questions below first. Then the documents and steps open.
1Your situation
We show only what your answers need.
- Which of these is the person applying?
- Does your household live in a village (under a Gram Panchayat)?
- Does your household already have a job card?
- Is anyone in your household who will work a single woman, a person with a disability, over 60, a released bonded labourer, from a Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Group (PVTG), or a transgender person?
Your answers stay on this phone.
Each step below says who it is for. Confirm yours at the office, then change your answer here.
We could not confirm whether this applies to you
The VB-G RAM G Act (2025) and Andhra Pradesh's scheme (G.O.Ms.No.78 of 2026) are for households living in rural areas; they say nothing about Indian citizens living abroad. Before applying, ask at your Gram Panchayat or the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO).
Sources: 1, 6
We could not confirm whether this applies to you
The VB-G RAM G Act (2025) and Andhra Pradesh's scheme (G.O.Ms.No.78 of 2026) do not mention OCI cardholders. Under the Ministry of Home Affairs notification S.O. 1050(E) of 4 March 2021, an OCI cardholder is a foreign national, not an Indian citizen, and in fields the notification does not name has the same rights as a foreigner. Before applying, ask at your Gram Panchayat or the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO).
Sources: 1, 6, 10
We could not confirm whether this applies to you
The VB-G RAM G Act (2025) and Andhra Pradesh's scheme (G.O.Ms.No.78 of 2026) do not mention foreign nationals. Before applying, ask at your Gram Panchayat or the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO).
Sources: 1, 6
This route does not apply to your situation
The Act and Andhra Pradesh's scheme cover only notified rural areas; households living in areas under an urban local body (a municipality or corporation) are not covered. If you are not sure whether your area counts as rural, ask the MPDO.
→ If you are not sure whether your area is rural, ask at the office of the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO, the scheme's Programme Officer). For workers in towns, see the e-Shram guide:
→ e-Shram card (unorganised workers' registration)
Sources: 1, 6
2Documents you need
Tick the ones you have. They are kept in this browser.
Details
A household means family members related by blood, marriage or adoption who normally live together and share meals or hold a common ration card.
Sources: 1, 6
Details
The card records each registered adult's Aadhaar number, if any.
Sources: 1, 6
Details
An account in the worker's own name. Wages are paid straight into it.
If you don't have it: A post office savings account also works.
Sources: 1, 6, 3
Details
What the photo must look likeNot confirmed: The Act and Andhra Pradesh's scheme say the card carries photos, but give no size and do not say whether you bring them or the Gram Panchayat takes them. Ask at the Gram Panchayat.
The card carries a photo of each registered adult.
Sources: 1, 6
Details
The new Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card (or its digital card).
Sources: 1, 6
Details
The old MGNREGA job card with e-KYC done.
Sources: 3
Nothing to get ready before these steps.
3Your steps
· Do them in order. Tick each one when it is done.
- Do this nowIf: No
An adult (18 or over) from your household goes to the Gram Panchayat, gives the names and ages of the household members and your address, and asks to register the household for a Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card.
Households without an old MGNREGA job card register this way.
Not confirmed
The Act and Andhra Pradesh's scheme name no form and no fee for registering, and do not list papers to bring. The card carries each adult's photo, bank or post office account number and Aadhaar number (if any), so take those. Ask the Gram Panchayat what else it needs.
Sources: 1, 6, 3, 4
- Do this nowIf: No
The Panchayat Development Officer must enquire and give you the card within 15 days.
It shows the card number and, for each registered adult, their details, photo, bank or post office account number, insurance policy number and Aadhaar number (if any). The card is valid for 3 years and can then be renewed after verification. It can be cancelled only if it is a duplicate, if the whole household has moved away for good, or if all its adults have died. The scheme says a digital card is also to be given on Mana Mitra (WhatsApp Governance).
Not confirmed
The Mana Mitra WhatsApp number is 9552300009 (from a district website). We have not confirmed whether the job card service is already running there; ask at the Gram Panchayat.
Sources: 1, 6, 9
- Do this nowIf: Yes, the old MGNREGA job card
The MGNREGA Act was repealed from 1 July 2026.
Old job cards with e-KYC done stay valid until new cards are issued. Ask at the Gram Panchayat whether e-KYC is done for every adult on your card, and if not, get it done. Work must not be refused only because e-KYC is pending; e-KYC can also be done at the worksite.
Sources: 2, 3, 4
- Do this nowIf: Yes
Ask the Gram Panchayat for the Special Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Card, in a different colour, for a single woman, a person with a disability, a person over 60, a released bonded labourer, a PVTG member or a transgender person.
It gives special protection in the work given, how work is measured, and worksite facilities.
Not confirmed
The rules we read do not say what proof (for example a disability certificate) the special card needs. Ask at the Gram Panchayat.
Sources: 1, 6
- Do this now
Ask for work: any adult named on the card can apply orally or in writing (on Form 6, as before) to the Panchayat Development Officer, the Field Assistant, the Mandal Parishad Development Officer (MPDO, the Programme Officer) or through digital platforms such as Mana Mitra.
You can apply alone or as a group, normally for at least 6 days of continuous work, and you can apply in advance. Every application must be registered and a dated receipt given: ask for the receipt.
Sources: 1, 6, 3, 4
- Do this now
Work must be given within 15 days of your application (or from the date you asked for, if you applied in advance).
You are told by letter or by a notice at the panchayat office, and the list of people given work goes on the Gram Panchayat notice board. As far as possible, work is within 5 km of your village; if it is farther, you get 10% extra wages. Each spell of work is at least 6 days, and not more than 6 days a week. No works run during the sowing and harvest periods the state notifies (60 days a year in all).
Not confirmed
We did not find Andhra Pradesh's notification of the sowing and harvest periods for 2026-27. Ask at the Gram Panchayat when works pause.
Sources: 1, 6, 3
- Do this now
If you get no work within 15 days, you are entitled to a daily unemployment allowance: at least a quarter of the wage rate for the first 30 days in the financial year, and at least half after that.
The MPDO (Programme Officer) sanctions it, and it must be paid within 15 days of falling due. Ask the MPDO.
Not confirmed
Under the Act the state sets the allowance rate by notification; Andhra Pradesh's scheme repeats only these minimums. We did not find an Andhra Pradesh rate notification.
Sources: 1, 6, 3
- Do this now
In Andhra Pradesh, from 1 July 2026, the wage for unskilled work is ₹312 a day (the rate set by the Central Government).
Attendance is taken daily at the worksite by biometric means. Wages go straight into your own bank or post office account, weekly or within a fortnight of the work. If they are not paid within 15 days of the muster roll closing, you get delay compensation of 0.05% of the unpaid wages for each day of delay after the 16th day.
Sources: 5, 1, 6, 3
- Do this now
The worksite must have drinking water, shade for children, rest periods and a first-aid box.
If 5 or more children under 5 come with the women workers, one woman is assigned to look after them and is paid the wage. If you are injured in an accident at work, treatment in government hospitals is free; if you must stay in hospital, you get a daily allowance of at least half the wage.
Sources: 1, 6
- Do this now
Check that your card records: the days you asked for work, the days given, the work and its muster roll number, measurements, wages paid by date, and any unemployment allowance or delay compensation paid.
Each household is guaranteed 125 days of work in a financial year.
Sources: 1, 6
If something goes wrong
If it is rejectedIf you are not registered, or do not get the card or work within 15 days, complain.
If you are not registered, or do not get the card or work within 15 days, complain. You can complain orally, in writing, by phone or online at ward, Gram Panchayat, mandal or district level; officials must be available to receive complaints on at least one day a week. You get a dated acknowledgement; the enquiry takes up to 7 working days and the complaint must be settled within 15 days, or it moves up a level. Appeals: against the Gram Panchayat to the MPDO (Programme Officer), against the MPDO to the District Collector (District Programme Coordinator), then to the state grievance authority; appeal within 45 days of the order, to be decided within 30 days. You can also register it on the state's grievance system, PGRS (1100, the website, the mobile app, the village or ward secretariat, or the Collectorate on Mondays); the grievance number comes by SMS. Keep your Aadhaar number with you; PGRS asks for it.
PGRS (Public Grievance Redressal System) · Open the official page
Sources: 1, 6, 8
If it is lateIf wages are late, the computer system works out the delay compensation from the date the muster roll closed and the date the wages reached your account, and the District Programme Coordinator and Programme Officer must pay it first and recover it later from whoever caused the delay.
If wages are late, the computer system works out the delay compensation from the date the muster roll closed and the date the wages reached your account, and the District Programme Coordinator and Programme Officer must pay it first and recover it later from whoever caused the delay. If wages or compensation do not come, complain to the MPDO or register it on PGRS (1100). The old rural employment (MGNREGS) website gives the state grievance line's two toll-free numbers, 1100 and 1800-425-4440, for complaints.
PGRS (Public Grievance Redressal System) · Open the official page
Sources: 1, 6, 8, 7, 11
AlsoThe State Government must appoint an Ombudsperson for each district, who receives complaints about the scheme, enquires and issues awards.
The State Government must appoint an Ombudsperson for each district, who receives complaints about the scheme, enquires and issues awards. Ask the MPDO's office who your district's Ombudsperson is.
District Ombudsperson
Sources: 1, 6
If you are asked for more moneyThe Act and Andhra Pradesh's scheme name no fee for the job card or for asking for work.
The Act and Andhra Pradesh's scheme name no fee for the job card or for asking for work. If anyone asks for a bribe, call the ACB on 1064.
Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB)
Sources: 1, 6, 8, 9
Official websites for this work
- PGRS (Andhra Pradesh) Complain to the state government
Related guides
The 11 official pages and papers this guide is written from
- The Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB–G RAM G Act, 2025 (No. 36 of 2025)Ministry of Law and Justice (Legislative Department), Government of India (The Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 1); copy on the Department of Rural Development's VB-G RAM G portal, Sections 2 (adult, household), 5 (125 days, wages within a fortnight), 6 (60-day peak-season pause), 10 (wage rate), 11 (unemployment allowance), 23; Schedule I para 29 (ombudsperson); Schedule II (card, demand, allocation, worksite, welfare, wages). No condition on citizenship (21-12-2025) · read on 01-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 2382(E), 11 May 2026: the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 comes into force on 1 July 2026Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Rural Development), Government of India (The Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii), No. 2291) (11-05-2026) · read on 01-11-2026
- Viksit Bharat-G RAM G Act, 2025: Frequently Asked QuestionsPress Information Bureau, Government of India (for the Ministry of Rural Development), Questions 2–3 (in force and MGNREGA repealed from 01/07/2026), 12 (existing job cards with e-KYC valid until new cards), 13–18, 20–23 (11-05-2026) · read on 01-11-2026
- Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), 2025: VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 (backgrounder)Press Information Bureau, Government of India (for the Ministry of Rural Development), Transition (e-KYC-verified job cards stay valid, no denial of work for pending e-KYC, e-KYC at worksites, Form-6) (11-05-2026) · read on 01-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 3518(E), 30 June 2026: wage rates for unskilled manual work under the VB-G RAM G Act, from 1 July 2026Ministry of Rural Development (Department of Rural Development), Government of India (The Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii)), Schedule, serial 1: Andhra Pradesh, Rs. 312.00 a day (30-06-2026) · read on 01-11-2026
- G.O.Ms.No.78, PR&RD (RD.II), 05.06.2026: "Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)- VB-G RAM G Scheme, Andhra Pradesh" (notification for the A.P. Gazette)Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (RD.II) Department, Government of Andhra Pradesh (A.P. Government Orders Issue Register), Scheme in notified rural areas from 1 July 2026; para 2 (definitions); para 4 (guarantees); paras 5 and 18 (demand: to the Panchayat Development Officer, Field Assistant, Programme Officer or Mana Mitra); para 10 (Gram Panchayat); para 13 (District Collector as DPC, PD DWMA as ADPC, MPDO as Programme Officer); paras 15–16 (registration, digital card on Mana Mitra, special card, card by the Panchayat Development Officer within 15 days); para 19 (allocation); paras 21–27 (attendance, wages, delay compensation, unemployment allowance); paras 30–32 (worksite, accidents, peak seasons); paras 52–54 (grievances, appeals, ombudsperson). A scanned order of 38 pages, read by OCR (05-06-2026) · read on 01-11-2026
- MGNREGS Andhra Pradesh: Contact detailsDepartment of Rural Development, Government of Andhra Pradesh (MGNREGS-AP website), "For any Grievances and Complaints other than Software related issues, contact on the below toll free number: 1100-1800-425-4440" · read on 01-11-2026
- Public Grievance Redressal System (PGRS): FAQ'sReal Time Governance Society (RTGS), Government of Andhra Pradesh, Who can register a grievance and how (1100, secretariat, Collectorate on Mondays, portal, app); Grievance No by SMS; re-opening twice; corruption and bribe grievances (ACB) · read on 01-11-2026
- Markapuram district website: Helpline ContactsDistrict Administration, Markapuram District, Government of Andhra Pradesh, Helpline Contacts: Manamitra Whatsapp Governance 9552300009; ACB 1064 · read on 01-11-2026
- Notification S.O. 1050(E), 4 March 2021: rights of an Overseas Citizen of India (OCI) Cardholder, under section 7B(1) of the Citizenship Act, 1955Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India (The Gazette of India, Extraordinary, Part II, Section 3(ii), No. 962), Para (5) (in fields the notification does not name, an OCI cardholder has the same rights as a foreigner) and Explanation (1) (an OCI cardholder is a foreign national, not an Indian citizen) (04-03-2021) · read on 01-11-2026
- Ananthapuramu district website: How to lodge a GrievanceDistrict Administration, Ananthapuramu District, Government of Andhra Pradesh, "The petitioner can call the caller toll free number 1100 / 1800-425-4440"; the page sends the reader to pgrs.ap.gov.in. Last updated 14.05.2026, before the new scheme began (14-05-2026) · read on 11-11-2026