Shimla-07.01.26-BJP State President Dr. Rajeev Bindal, while addressing a press conference today, said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the NDA government at the Centre has launched an extremely visionary and timely nationwide scheme. Recently passed in Parliament during the Winter Session, the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Rural) – VB–G RAM G Act, 2025 is set to establish a new dimension for rural India. This scheme is not limited merely to providing employment; rather, it creates a concrete and result-oriented framework that links employment directly with rural development.
Dr. Bindal said that since Independence, successive governments have launched various schemes aimed at rural employment. From the Rural Manpower Programme (1960–61) to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005, several initiatives were implemented. MGNREGA continued from 2005 to 2025; however, in view of changing socio-economic conditions, accumulated experience and ground-level shortcomings, the need was felt for a new, more effective and development-oriented scheme. This led to the creation of the VB–G RAM G Act.
The BJP State President clarified that while MGNREGA provided a guarantee of 100 days of employment, in reality, the average employment generated was only 50.4 days. In contrast, the VB–G RAM G scheme provides a legal guarantee of 125 days of employment, which will be linked to development projects. Under this scheme, a village development plan will be prepared at the Gram Sabha level, forwarded through block and district levels, and integrated with the PM Gati Shakti platform. Employment will be generated for implementing this development plan, ensuring holistic development of villages.
Dr. Bindal highlighted that a major advantage of this scheme is that it is fully technology-driven. Provisions include biometric attendance, digital multi-level monitoring, a six-month review mechanism, and clearly defined time-bound payments. In case employment or payment is not provided on time, there is a provision for compensation to the beneficiary, ensuring accountability.
He said the Congress is trying to spread confusion regarding the funding pattern, whereas the truth is that for Himalayan states like Himachal Pradesh, the Centre–State funding ratio has been fixed at 90:10, which is highly beneficial for the state. For other states, the ratio is 60:40. The Centre has made this provision keeping in view the geographical conditions of different states.
Presenting comparative data, Dr. Bindal said that the Congress-led UPA government spent ₹2.13 lakh crore on MGNREGA from 2006 to 2014, whereas the NDA government spent over ₹8.53 lakh crore between 2014 and 2025. In terms of employment generation, 1,660 million mandays were created during the UPA period, compared to 3,210 million mandays during the Modi government. The number of completed works stood at 153 lakh during the UPA era, while it increased to 862 lakh during the NDA period—clearly reflecting the seriousness of the BJP government.
Citing Himachal Pradesh specifically, Dr. Bindal said that during Congress rule the state generated 16.52 lakh mandays, whereas under the Modi government this figure rose to 32.6 lakh mandays, effectively doubling employment. Under the VB–G RAM G scheme, a provision of approximately ₹1.5 lakh crore has been made, which is significantly higher than earlier allocations.
He added that the scheme focuses on four key sectors—rural infrastructure, water conservation, environmental protection, and rural livelihoods. Administrative expenditure has been increased from 6 percent to 9 percent to ensure better implementation, auditing, and monitoring.
Dr. Rajeev Bindal said that Congress is misleading the public by raising the issue of name changes, whereas history shows that Congress governments themselves have renamed schemes from time to time. BJP never opposed this. The real issue is not the name, but outcomes and development.
Concluding his address, Dr. Bindal said that the VB–G RAM G scheme is not politically motivated but is a visionary initiative aligned with the goal of Viksit Bharat 2047. If the state government fails to provide its 10 percent share on time, it will expose its anti-rural and anti-poor mindset. BJP will take this scheme to every household and remains fully committed to the empowerment of rural India.