The government has handed over the first tranche of ₹25,863 crore to states and Union Territories for VB-G-RAM-G, also known as the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin); the rural jobs scheme that officially rolled out nationwide on 1 July 2026.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan released the funds during a video conference with state and UT rural development ministers, where they took stock of how the rollout has gone so far.
A rollout that beat MGNREGA’s timeline by years
The Ministry of Rural Development says VB-G-RAM-G went live across the whole country without a hitch, moving smoothly out of the old MGNREGA setup. Chouhan pointed out that MGNREGA took close to three years to reach every corner of India, while this scheme managed it in a single day. He credited that to close coordination between the Centre and states, backed by digital infrastructure that was ready to go. No major technical or operational problems have turned up so far.
Work has already started
In just the first week, Gram Panchayats across the country put workers on the job, generating employment for lakhs of people in rural areas. Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Rajasthan got singled out for putting large numbers of people to work on day one itself.
A few states still have ground to cover. Odisha and West Bengal have been pushed to get works running in their remaining Gram Panchayats, Jharkhand needs to finish its notification process and sort out budget provisions, and any state still waiting on RBI account setup or other paperwork has been told to close that out soon.
Wages go up, with a floor built in
Wages under the new scheme have risen by roughly 10 percent on average, and the government has set a hard floor: no state will pay less than ₹300 a day. The idea is to give rural workers more income security and a better standard of living.
Getting money to workers on time
The ₹25,863 crore released now is meant to make sure states can pay wages within the required 15-day window. The Centre has also asked states to put in their own matching share on schedule, so payments don’t stall on that end. Officials say funding won’t be a constraint going forward, with future releases tied to what states actually need.
Decisions made closer to the ground
The scheme leans heavily on Gram Sabhas and Gram Panchayats to decide what gets built, based on what their communities actually need, rather than a one-size-fits-all list handed down from above.
Keeping an eye on things digitally
States have been told to roll out full digital monitoring, including:
- Face authentication to verify beneficiaries
- Geo-tagging of assets and works
- Tech-based tracking and reporting
The goal, according to the Ministry, is to cut down on irregularities and make sure the assets built actually last.
To help things run smoothly, the Ministry has posted Area Officers at the Joint Secretary level to stay in regular touch with states and sort out problems as they come up. Both the Centre and states share responsibility for getting wages out on time, and states have been reminded to release their share promptly so that timeline holds.
Key Takeaway: VB-G-RAM-G is meant to do more than just create jobs. It’s built around better livelihoods, real assets for rural communities, and a cleaner, more transparent way of running the show. Officials are calling it one of the biggest shifts in how rural employment works in India, and the start of a new chapter under the Viksit Bharat push.
MCQs:
1. VB-G-RAM-G stands for:
A) Viksit Bharat-Gramin Rozgar and Asset Mission
B) Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin)
C) Village Bharat Growth and Rural Asset Mission
D) Viksit Bharat-Rural Employment and Livelihood Programme
2. VB-G-RAM-G was officially launched nationwide on:
A) 15 August 2025
B) 1 April 2026
C) 1 July 2026
D) 2 October 2026
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