VB-G RAM G to address labour shortage during peak farm season: Minister

Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Tuesday said the recently passed Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act addresses the labour shortage faced during peak farm seasons.

The VB-G RAM G Act, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), was passed in Parliament last week.

Addressing virtually on the occasion of Farmers Day, Chouhan said the law strikes a balance between the welfare of farmers and labourers, according to an official statement.

"VB-G RAM G is extremely useful in the broader interest of the country, as it empowers and makes the farming community self-reliant. While the VB-G RAM G fully takes care of the upliftment of labourers, it also focuses on farmers, ensuring sufficient labourers are available for farming," he said.

The minister pointed out that farmers often face difficulty in finding labourers during sowing and harvesting seasons.

"Now with this new law, this problem will be resolved, and the labourers will be available during the farming season. This is an important feature of the new law that will keep farmers happy," he said.

Under the new scheme, labourers will get work for 125 days a year instead of 100 days under MGNREGA, except for two months of peak farming season when they are expected to be available for agricultural work.

Chouhan said the information about this new development must be disseminated among farmers across the country through Krishi Vigyan Kendras.

The minister said the government's objective is to increase the income of both farmers and labourers, and this will be achieved through the new law.

Minister of State for Agriculture Bhagirath Choudhary, Agriculture Secretary Devesh Chaturvedi and Indian Council of Agricultural Research Director General ML Jat were among other senior officials present at the event.