Agartala, Feb 11 (IANS): Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday announced that Rs 10 lakh crore will be spent across rural India over the next five years under the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB–G RAM G).
Addressing a conference on the scheme in Agartala, Chouhan said the programme offers a comprehensive roadmap for building a “Viksit Bharat” and is designed to benefit all sections of society. He highlighted that the scheme guarantees 125 days of employment annually, an increase from the earlier 100 days under MGNREGA.
The Minister stated that Rs 1,51,282 crore has been allocated for the programme, with an additional Rs 55,000 crore through the Finance Commission, taking the annual outlay to over Rs 2 lakh crore. Over five years, this investment will total Rs 10 lakh crore. He said funds would be directly channelled to Gram Panchayats to strengthen grassroots development.
Chouhan noted that the scheme ensures unemployment allowance if work is not provided on demand and mandates interest payments in case of wage delays. Administrative expenditure has been increased from six per cent to nine per cent to address staffing and salary-related issues at the Panchayat level.
Drawing comparisons, he said the UPA government spent Rs 2.13 lakh crore on rural job works over ten years, whereas the NDA has spent Rs 8.54 lakh crore in the past decade.
Chief Minister Manik Saha said the new Act addresses shortcomings of MGNREGA by enhancing transparency, accountability and digital tracking. During the event, Chouhan inaugurated and laid foundation stones for 179 rural development projects in Tripura worth Rs 546.79 crore.
