G Ram G (Gramin Rozgar Ajeevika Mission Guarantee) represents India’s ambitious attempt to modernise rural employment policy, replacing the two-decade-old MGNREGA framework with a scheme that promises more — 125 days of guaranteed work instead of 100 — while quietly delivering less in terms of structural commitment. By aligning rural employment with the Viksit Bharat vision and introducing technology-driven tools like biometric authentication, geo-tagging, and real-time dashboards, the legislation signals a shift from a rights-based welfare programme toward a development-oriented, efficiency-focused model. Yet this modernisation comes with a significant caveat: the move to a 60:40 Centre-state cost-sharing model fundamentally undermines the demand-driven guarantee that made MGNREGA a lifeline for India’s poorest, effectively making employment contingent on fiscal allocations rather than citizen entitlement. Critics — ranging from economists to grassroots organisations — warn that the guarantee now exists only to the extent the Centre chooses to fund it, and that poorer states will bear a disproportionate burden. Can G Ram G learn from NREGA while holding on to its advantages? We explore through this ground report.