Centre to deploy 100 officers ahead of 1 July rollout of VB-G RAM G

NEW DELHI: The Centre will deploy more than 100 area officers across the country to help states and Union territories transition to the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), as the government's new rural employment framework enters its final rollout phase ahead of a 1 July launch.

The officers will serve as facilitators and resource persons during the transition, working with state governments, district administrations and field-level officials to support implementation, build local capacity and address operational challenges, the ministry of rural development said in a statement on Friday.

Rural development secretary Rohit Kansal said the mechanism is intended to strengthen coordination between the Centre and states as the new framework comes into force.

“The officers have already undergone orientation on key aspects of the Act, including implementation procedures, institutional arrangements, technology platforms and support systems available to states,” Kansal said.

According to the ministry, the officers will assess implementation readiness, facilitate knowledge-sharing, support capacity-building efforts and help resolve issues that arise during the transition. The initiative is aimed at ensuring uniform implementation and providing institutional support during the programme's initial months.

The deployment is one of the final preparatory steps before the launch of VB-G RAM G, which seeks to broaden the scope of rural employment support by integrating livelihood promotion, rural infrastructure creation, climate resilience and technology-enabled governance into a single framework.

The Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, was enacted by Parliament last year as a successor framework to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The transition is taking place against a backdrop of continued demand for rural employment. Official data show that 17.44 million people were employed under the scheme in April, rising to 27.40 million in May. Another 26.84 million people had availed employment up to 19 June, underscoring the scale of the programme that is moving to the new framework.

The Centre has also stepped up other rollout preparations. It has approved an interim allocation of ₹95,692 crore as the central share for FY27 and onboarded all states and Union Territories onto the DBT-SPARSH platform for direct benefit transfers. Nearly 93% of active workers have completed e-KYC formalities, while a face authentication-based attendance system has been rolled out nationwide.

According to the ministry, 27 states and Union territories have made budgetary provisions for implementing the programme. Six states and Union territories have notified their state-specific schemes under the new framework, while the remainder are in advanced stages of finalising implementation plans.

Rural rights activists said the scale of demand for public employment makes a smooth transition critical.

“The government must ensure that the transition to VB-G RAM G does not disrupt employment or wage payments for rural workers. With more than 26 million people already seeking work in June alone, the priority should be to strengthen implementation at the grassroots rather than merely changing the scheme's architecture,” said Ashish Kumar Singh, president of Citizen Forum, a civil rights group in Bihar’s Katihar district.