Bandarugudem village in Krishna district exposes the deep divides in rural job schemes. The Union government’s new VB-G RAM G replaces MGNREGA, promising 125 days of guaranteed work instead of 100. Yet villagers like 60-year-old Barre Jayamma and Medabalimi Dhanalakshmi struggle to find even two weeks of paid work. Bandurugudem lacks assets, with its village tank leased out, cutting key employment avenues. Nearby Ampapuram, with better infrastructure and individual assets like livestock sheds, much more fully uses the scheme, with 70-80% work completed in 2025-26. Across Bapulapadu mandal, nearly 10,000 households accessed 1 lakh person-days of work, with no payment delays, says official S. Ashok Kumar. At the Krishna district level, over 1.3 lakh households got employment, generating millions of person-days and spending over ₹150 crore on wages in 2024-26. However, critics warn VB-G RAM G risks losing MGNREGA’s legal work guarantee, shifting to a more limited administrative scheme, potentially excluding vulnerable groups. Opposition leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Y.S. Sharmila protest the change, emphasizing MGNREGA’s role in lifting rural livelihoods. Research by LibTech India highlights that even before the new Act, average workdays per household were under 52, with only 11% hitting 100 days, revealing fiscal rationing. It also flags that VB-G RAM G removes the explicit right to demand work and may exclude marginalized communities. Andhra Pradesh’s Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has raised funding concerns with the Centre, noting the new 60:40 cost-sharing burden. LibTech researcher Chakradhar Buddha urges a state review and Assembly debate to petition the Centre to retain MGNREGA’s core statutory guarantee. For villagers, the debate boils down to real work, income, and dignity. The shift poses key questions on whether the revised scheme will sustain or weaken rural job security and address local disparities that shape livelihoods daily.