Part V-A, Ext. No. 34, L. A. BILL No. XXXVII OF 2026. A Bill Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977. Wednesday, 24th June 2026.

RNI No. MAHBIL /2009/40123

महाराष्ट्र शासन राजपत्र

असाधारण भाग पाच-अ

वर्ष १२, अंक १८(२)] बुधवार, जून २४, २०२६/आर्ाढ ३, शके १९४८ [पृष्ट्ठठे ८, ककंमत : रुपये ३६.००

असाधारण क्रमांक ३४

प्ाकधकृत प्काशन

महाराष्ट्र कवधानसभेत व महाराष्ट्र कवधानपररर्देत सादर केलेली कवधेयके इंग्रजी अनुवाद.

MAHARASHTRA LEGISLATURE SECRETARIAT

The following Bill was introduced in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly on the 24th June, 2026 is published under Rule 117 of the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly Rules :—

L. A. BILL No. XXXVII OF 2026.

A BILL

further to amend the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977.

WHEREAS both Houses of the State Legislature were not in session;

AND WHEREAS the Governor of Maharashtra was satisfied that circumstances existed which rendered it necessary for him to take immediate action further to amend the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977, for the purposes hereinafter appearing ; and, therefore, promulgated the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee (Amendement) Ordinance, 2026 on the 16th June 2026 ;

Mah. XX of 1978. Mah. Ord. VIII of 2026.

(१)

भाग पाच-अ-३४–१२ महाराष्ट्र शासन राजपत्र असाधारण भाग पाच-अ, जून २४, २०२६/आर्ाढ ३, शके १९४८ AND WHEREAS, it is expedient to replace the said Ordinance, by an Act of the State Legislature ; it is hereby enacted in the Seventy-seventh Year of the Republic of India as follows :––

1. (1) This Act may be called the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee (Amendment) Act, 2026.

Short title and commencement.

(2) It shall be deemed to have come into force on the 16th June 2026.

2. In section 2 of the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 Mah. XX of 1978.

(hereinafter referred to as "the principal Act"),-

Amendment of section 2 of Mah. XX of 1978.

(1) for clause (a-1), the following clause shall be substituted, namely :—

"(a-1) "Central Act" means the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for 36 of 2025.

Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB – G RAM G (विकवित भारत—जी राम जी) Act, ²⁰²⁵ ; " ;

(2) clause (a-2) shall be deleted ;

(3) clause (e-2) shall be deleted ;

(4) after clause (j), the following clause shall be inserted, namely :—

"(j-1) "Schedule" means the Schedule appended to this Act;"; (5) for clause (l), the following clause shall be substituted, namely:—

" (l) "State Council" means the Maharashtra State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council constituted under section 4;";

(6) after clause (l), the following clause shall be inserted, namely :—

"(l-1) "State Level Steering Committee" means a State Level Steering Committee constituted under sub-section (1) of section 4-A of this Act ;";

(7) after clause (m-1), the following clause shall be inserted, namely: - "(m-2) VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra" means the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Scheme State Fund of Maharashtra constituted under section 12-A of this Act;".

Amendment of 3. In section 3 of the principal Act,-

section 3 of Mah.

XX of 1978.

(1) in sub-section (1), for the words, brackets and figures "sub-section (1) of section 3" the words, brackets and figures "sub-section (1) of section 5" shall be substituted;

(2) in sub-section (2), for the words, brackets and figures " beyond the period specified in sub-section (1) of section 3" the words, brackets and figure " in addition to the period specified in sub-section (1) of section 5" shall be substituted.

4. In section 3-A of the principal Act, in sub-section (2), after the words "operation will continue." the following portion shall be added, namely :—

Amendment of section 3-A of Mah. XX of 1978.

"The State Government shall also make such summary publicly available through electronic means, including the official website of the State Government or any designated digital platform.".

5. In section 3-C of the principal Act,—

(1) in sub-section (1), for the word and figure "section 6" the word and

Amendment of section 3-C of Mah. XX of 1978.

figures "section 10" shall be substituted;

(2) to sub-section (1), the following proviso shall be added, namely :—

"Provided that, additional amount to the wage rate may be notified by the State Government for different unskilled manual work and for different areas.".

6. In section 4 of the principal Act,-

Amendment of section 4 of Mah. XX of 1978.

(1) in sub-section (1), for the words "the Maharashtra State Employment Guarantee Council" the words "the Maharashtra State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council" shall be substituted;

(2) for the marginal note, the following shall be substituted, namely:-

"State Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Council".

7. After section 4 of the principal Act, the following section shall be inserted, namely :—

Insertion of section 4-A in Mah. XX of 1978.

State Level Steering Committee.

"4-A. (1) The State Government shall constitute a State Level Steering Committee to provide operational guidance, coordination, and monitor the implementation of the Scheme.

(2) The State Level Steering Committee constituted under sub-section (1), shall be presided over by the Chief Secretary of the State or by an officer not below the rank of Additional Chief Secretary nominated by the State Government and shall comprise of the following members, namely :—

(a) Principal Secretary or Secretary of the respective Department; (b) the Director or Commissioner (in-charge of the Scheme);

(c) Principal Secretary or Secretary of relevant Departments of the State Government;

(d) such number of subject-matter experts, as may be determined by the State Government;

(e) representatives of technical or research institutions; and

(f) one member nominated by the Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

(3) The State Level Steering Committee shall,—

(a) oversee State wide planning and convergence with other programmes ;

(b) review of district performance and ensure timely preparation of the aggregate State plan;

(c) co–ordinate with the National Level Steering Committee and implement directions issued therefrom;

(d) support digital systems, monitoring arrangements, and process improvements at the State level; and

(e) perform such other functions as may be assigned to it by the State Government.".

भाग पाच-अ-३४–१अ४ महाराष्ट्र शासन राजपत्र असाधारण भाग पाच-अ, जून २४, २०२६/आर्ाढ ३, शके १९४८ 8. For section 12-A of the principal Act, the following section shall be substituted, namely :—

Substitution of section 12-A of Mah. XX of 1978.

VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra.

"12-A. (1) The State Government shall separately constitute a fund called as VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra, as required under section 22 of the Central Act. Such Fund shall not be the part of the Employment Guarantee Fund constituted under section 12.

(2) Any sum received under section 30 of the Central Act and the contribution of the State Government as required under section 22 of the Central Act shall be credited to the VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra.

(3) The amount standing to the credit of the VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra shall be expended in rural areas in such manner and subject to such conditions and limitations as may be prescribed by the State Government for the purpose of implementation of this Act.

(4) The VB -G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra shall be held and administered on behalf of the State Government in such manner and by such authority as may be prescribed.

(5) On completion of a work taken up under the Scheme under the Central Act, if it is necessary to take up additional skilled work of that completed work, for upgradation in technical quality of said work or as value addition, the State Government may provide supplementary funds as necessary or provide for convergence.".

9. In section 14-A of the principal Act,—

(1) for the words "one thousand rupees" the words "ten thousand rupees" shall be substituted;

Amendment of section 14-A of Mah. XX of 1978.

(2) for the words and figures "section 27 of the Central Act" the words and figures "section 29 of the Central Act" shall be substituted.

Power to remove difficulty.

10. (1) If any difficulty arises in giving effect to the provisions of the principal Act, as amended by this Act, the State Government may, as occasion arises, by an order published in the Official Gazette, do anything not inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, which appears to it to be necessary or expedient for removing the difficulty :

Provided that, no such order shall be made after the expiry of a period of two years from the date of commencement of this Act.

(2) Every order made under sub-section (1) shall be laid, as soon as may be, after it is made, before each House of the State Legislature.

11. (1) The Maharashtra Employment Guarantee (Amendment) Mah. Ord. VIII of 2026.

Ordinance 2026, is hereby repealed.

Repeal of Mah. Ord. VIII of 2026 and saving. (2) Notwithstanding such repeal, anything done or any action taken (including any notification, rules or order issued) under the corresponding provisions of the principal Act, as amended by the said Ordinance, shall be deemed to have been done, taken or, as the case may be, issued under the corresponding provisions of the principal Act, as amended by this Act.

STATEMENT OF OBJECTS AND REASONS

The Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 (Mah. XX of 1978) (hereinafter referred to as "the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act") has been enacted to make effective provisions for securing right of work by guaranteeing employment to all adult persons who volunteer to do unskilled manual work in the rural areas of the State. Various employment guarantee schemes under the said Act have been successfully implemented in the State.

MEMORANDUM REGARDING DELEGATED LEGISLATION

The Bill involves the following proposals for delegation of legislative powers, namely :—

Clause 7.—Under this clause, which seeks to insert new section 4-A, in the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 (Mah. XX of 1978), power is taken to the State Government to constitute, the State Level Steering Committee.

Clause 8.—Under this clause, which seeks to substitute section 12-A of the Act,—

(i) under sub-section (3), the power is taken to the State Government to prescribe by rules, the manner, conditions and limitations subject to which the amount standing to the credit of the VB-G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra shall be expended ;

(ii) under sub-section (4), the power is taken to the State Government to prescribe by rules, the manner and the authority which shall administer the VB-G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra ;

Clause 10.—Under this clause, power is taken to the State Government to issue an order in the Official Gazette, for removing any difficulty which may arise in giving effect to the provisions of the said Act.

2. The above-mentioned proposals for delegation of legislative powers are of a normal character.

FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM

Clause 8 of the Bill provides to substitute section 12-A of the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Act, 1977 (Mah. XX of 1978) to provide for constitution of VB – G RAM G State Fund of Maharashtra. From the said Fund various employment guarantee schemes will be implemented in the State with contribution from the Central Government as well as the State Government. Therefore, the Bill would involve current estimated recurring expenditure of rupees 9252.32 Crores from the Consolidated Fund of the State for the Financial Year 2026-27 on its enactment as an Act of the State Legislature.

GOVERNOR'S RECOMMENDATION UNDER ARTICLE 207 OF

THE CONSTITUTION OF INDIA

(Copy of Government of Maharashtra Order, Law and Judiciary Department) In exercise of the power conferred upon him by clause (3) of Article 207 of the Constitution of India, the Governor of Maharashtra is pleased to recommend to both Houses of the State Legislature, the Consideration of the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee (Amendment) Bill, 2026.

Vidhan Bhavan : JITENDRA BHOLE,

Mumbai,

Secretary-1,

Dated : 24th June, 2026. Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.

ON BEHALF OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATION, PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DIRECTOR, RUPENDRA DINESH MORE, PRINTED AT GOVERNMENT CENTRAL PRESS, 21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD, MUMBAI 400 004 AND PUBLISHED AT DIRECTORATE OF GOVERNMENT PRINTING, STATIONERY AND PUBLICATIONS, 21-A, NETAJI SUBHASH ROAD, CHARNI ROAD, MUMBAI 400 004. EDITOR : DIRECTOR, RUPENDRA DINESH MORE.