Bhubaneswar: With the Viksit Bharat- Guarantee for Rozgar & Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) coming into force today, the Government of Odisha has stepped up preparations for the rollout of new rural employment framework in the State. The VB-G RAM G scheme came into force across the county on July 1, replacing MGNREGA.
While Odisha has notified a daily wage of Rs 352 under VB-G RAM G, Rs 5,575 crore has been earmarked in the State Budget for its implementation this year. The Rural Development department has been working on the administrative and technical transition over the past few weeks to its successful rollout.
Under the new scheme, eligible rural households will be entitled to 125 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year. The scheme will provide relief to rural families during periods of agricultural distress and seasonal unemployment. During critical farm operations, the government will also notify periods aggregating to 60 days, especially during sowing and harvesting seasons, Chief Secretary Anu Garg said.
She said the scheme also aims to create durable community assets in the field of water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood infrastructure and works for mitigation of extreme weather events and disaster preparedness. Under the scheme, Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans will be prepared at the GP level through participatory and technology-enabled planning to ensure need-based and sustainable rural development, she added.
The existing MGNREGA works, assets, records and workers are being migrated to the new VB-G RAM G framework to ensure continuity of employment. The District Collectors, Project Directors of DRDAs, Block Development Officers (BDOs), Panchayat Executive Officers and Gram Rozgar Sevaks have been instructed to familiarize themselves with the new guidelines and implementation framework.
Odisha is also integrating the scheme with digital monitoring systems for geo-tagging of assets, attendance, fund tracking and social audits to improve transparency. The department has initiated orientation programmes for field-level officials and Panchayati Raj representatives to familiarize them with revised operational guidelines, funding norms and work planning.
The Centre has also introduced a national floor wage of Rs 300 per day, with Odisha’s notified wage above that level. The national average notified wage has increased from Rs 298.8 per day under MGNREGA to Rs 327.4 per day under VB–G RAM G, representing an average increase of Rs 28.6 per day.
In the case of states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, the increase is in the range of 15% to 25% over the existing wage rate. Similarly, the states like Kerala, Haryana, Punjab, and Karnataka have wage rates of over Rs 360 up to Rs 409. According to the Ministry of Rural Development, 21 states and UTs have been brought up to the new Rs 300 interim base wage rate.
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