VB G RAM G rollout from July 1; transition mechanism put in place

The Centre has deployed senior officials to oversee the nationwide rollout of VB G RAM G as it replaces MGNREGA from July 1

In the transition from the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) to the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Grameen), or VB G RAM G, a crack team of over 14 senior officials in the Ministry of Rural Development has been formed to fan out across the country to help states and districts to effect the change.

 

Sources said the officials of the rank of joint secretary and above would be deployed as “area officials” from July 1 to coincide with the formal launch of VB G RAM G.

 

Each area officer has been assigned three-four states and will engage with state governments to review the measures they have undertaken for the Act’s execution.

   

They will also provide guidance and handholding support, facilitate continuous improvement in implementation, and obtain feedback for further strengthening operational arrangements.

 

Sources said that in addition, the area officials would visit select districts starting from the first week of July to interact with district programme coordinators of the employment scheme and other stakeholders, review the progress of operationalisation, and assess field-level readiness.

 

The officers will also review key programme parameters of VB G RAM G such as availability of adequate works, worker registration and e-KYC, attendance through the Face Authentication-based Attendance System, timely payment of wages, quality and durability of assets created, transparency and accountability measures, capacity-building initiatives, and overall programme performance.

 

“The visits will strengthen coordination among the Centre, states and districts. The feedback received from the field will assist the ministry in further refining implementation strategies and ensuring that the benefits of VB G RAM G reach rural households in an efficient, transparent and citizen-centric manner,” a senior official remarked.

 

A few weeks ago, the Centre released an interim sum of ₹95,692 crore under the scheme for a seamless transition from the MGNREGA. The amount includes ₹8,508 crore for West Bengal. It was made based on 60 per cent of FY26 allocation for the MGNREGA as the government awaits the final version of draft rules for VB G RAM G. The rules mandate a “normative” annual allocation based on the devolution formula of the 16th Finance Commission.

 

A portion of the annual funds under VB G RAM G will be allocated to states based on pre-fixed performance criteria.    

Payment for PM Kisan scheme tomorrow

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will on Saturday (June 20) transfer ₹18,880 crore to over 94.4 million farmer beneficiaries across the country under the 23rd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme. The transfer will take place during his visit to West Bengal’s Tarakeswar in Hooghly district.  

In the state alone, more than 4.5 million farmers will receive instalments totalling approximately ₹907 crore, Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said. With this, the cumulative disbursement under the scheme in the state will cross ₹15,055 crore, while the national total since the scheme’s launch in 2019 will surpass ₹4.46 trillion, he said in a statement.