Govt. to launch nationwide awareness campaign on VB-G RAM G scheme

The government is expected to launch a nationwide campaign soon to spread awareness about the benefits of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) scheme passed by Parliament.

The Congress Working Committee will meet on December 27 to deliberate on the replacement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) with the new legislation, VB-G RAM G. The party is reportedly planning to initiate a campaign around the issue. MGNREGA was a flagship scheme introduced by the UPA-I government in 2005.

In this light, the government may also counter the objections raised by the Congress and its allies. The government has said that the new law will provide a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work; to promote empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation for a prosperous and resilient rural Bharat.

“The Bill provides for institutionalising convergence of all relevant schemes through a unified planning process anchored in Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, aggregated into Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. The Bill provides for robust transparency and accountability mechanisms through technology-enabled architecture and enforcement via legal and administrative provisions,” the government had earlier said.

Under the law, all works undertaken will be aggregated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack, with thematic priority given to water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and special works aimed at mitigating the impact of extreme weather events and disaster preparedness.

Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans will be aggregated at the block, district and State levels to ensure alignment with broader sectoral priorities; and prepared using spatial technology and integrated with PM Gati Shakti. States will be empowered to notify in advance, periods aggregating to 60 days in a financial year during which works under the law will not be undertaken, in order to facilitate the availability of farm labour during peak sowing and harvesting seasons.

It will operate as a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS), with a fund sharing pattern of 90:10 for North-Eastern and Himalayan States/UT and 60:40 for all other States. The law provides for unemployment allowance if job is not provided within 15 days, at prescribed rates, to be paid by State governments.