Center releases ₹25,863 crore as new rural jobs scheme rolled out nationwide VB-G-RAM-G | Today’s news
The center published the first volume ₹25,863 crore to states to implement Viksit Bharat–Garantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G-RAM-G), the government’s new rural employment scheme to replace the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) from July 1, 2026. Rural Development Minister Chouvraj S said on Sunday.
The announcement came during a video conference with rural development ministers from states and Union territories, where Chouhan reviewed the rollout and said the nationwide switchover was completed without any technical or operational disruptions.
The minister said that the government has decided to implement VB-G-RAM-G across the country without interruption from July 1, 2026.
Smooth boot
He said he was pleased that the scheme had been successfully rolled out nationwide and that the transition from MGNREGA had been smooth and seamless, with no technical or operational issues reported so far.
Chouhan said the new program achieved nationwide implementation in a single day, in contrast to MGNREGA, which took nearly three years to roll out across the country.
According to the minister, already within the first week of implementation, work has started on a large number of gram panchayats, creating employment for millions of rural workers.
He singled out Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Rajasthan for creating large number of jobs on the first day of implementation.
He also urged Odisha and West Bengal to operationalize the scheme in all the remaining gram panchayats and asked Jharkhand to notify the scheme and finalize the required budgetary arrangements.
States where Reserve Bank of India (RBI) bills or other procedural formalities are still pending have also been asked to fill them in a time-bound manner.
Higher wages
The Minister said that wage rates under VB-G-RAM-G have increased by around 10% on average, with no state now having a lower notified wage rate. ₹300 per day.
The national average reported wage under the new regime has increased to ₹327.4 per day from ₹298.8 under the erstwhile MGNREGA, an average increase of Rs ₹28.6 per day, or more than 10%.
The law also increases the statutory wage job guarantee from 100 days to 125 days for each eligible rural household.
Chouhan said ₹The release of 25,863 crore was aimed at ensuring that states have sufficient liquidity to pay salaries within the mandated 15-day period.
He also asked the state governments to release their matching contribution on time so that there is no delay in payment of salaries.
Chouhan said gram sabhas and gram panchayats should identify works based on local development needs to ensure participatory planning and inclusive rural development.
To support implementation, the Ministry of Rural Development has deployed regional officers led by joint secretaries to coordinate with states and help resolve operational issues in scaling up the programme.
