PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/Dehradun
Rural Development minister Ganesh Joshi on Monday outlined the Centre’s Viksit Bharat- Guarantee For Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Bill, 2025 (VB-G RAM-G), calling it a significant upgrade to India’s rural employment framework with a strong focus on permanent assets, agriculture and hill-specific needs. Addressing the media here on Monday, Joshi traced the evolution of rural employment schemes, from the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana launched in 1989 to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA). He said MNREGA, which guarantees 100 days of work per household annually, played a key role in employing unskilled rural workers, but added that new challenges require a redesigned approach.
The VB-G RAM-G scheme increases guaranteed employment to 125 days per financial year and prioritises durable asset creation at the Gram Panchayat level, water conservation works, rural infrastructure, agriculture-linked activities and livelihood enhancement. Joshi said the scheme aligns with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047 through rural self-reliance.
For Himalayan and northeastern States, including Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, the Centre-State funding ratio will remain 90:10. Given Uttarakhand’s terrain, retaining and safety walls have been added to the list of permissible works. Repair and maintenance of assets created under the Jal Jeevan Mission will also be covered. The minister further said that States will be allowed to suspend scheme work for up to 60 days during peak sowing and harvesting periods to ensure adequate farm labour availability. Any violation of the scheme rules will attract a fine of Rs 10,000.
According to official data shared at the briefing, the mission covers 10.10 lakh registered job card–holding families nationwide, with 6.71 lakh active families and 9.35 lakh active workers. The total proposed allocation for the current financial year is Rs 1.51 lakh crore, including Rs 840 crore for Uttarakhand.
Joshi said evolving schemes is “a law of nature” and expressed confidence that VB-G RAM-G would strengthen rural livelihoods in Uttarakhand and beyond.
