VB-GRAM-G to strengthen rural jobs, transparency: Arunachal DyCM

Itanagar, Jan 7 (PTI) Arunachal Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Chown Mein on Wednesday said the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (VB-GRAM-G) Act is a bold, future-ready reform designed to strengthen rural livelihoods by placing villages, workers and farmers at the core of India's development.

Addressing a press conference here, Mein said the Bill, brought under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, provides a stronger legal and financial framework for rural employment while ensuring transparency and accountability.

He termed it a "historic reform" that would transform rural India and empower grassroots communities.

The deputy chief minister categorically rejected opposition claims of any renaming of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), and said the revised framework focuses on strengthening public welfare.

He said welfare laws are periodically updated by successive governments to meet changing needs, adding that the VB-GRAM-G framework represents an improved and technology-driven version aligned with the vision of a Viksit Bharat.

Tracing the background, Mein said MGNREGA was enacted in 2005 during the UPA government led by Manmohan Singh, after revisions to the Sampoorna Gramin Rozgar Yojana Bill, 2002.

Highlighting financial aspects, the deputy chief minister, who also holds the Planning, Investment and Finance portfolios, thanked the Centre for the favourable funding pattern under the VB-GRAM-G Bill.

He said the 90:10 cost-sharing ratio, 90 per cent by the Centre and 10 per cent by the state, significantly reduces the financial burden on Arunachal Pradesh, compared to the 60:40 pattern applicable to many other states.

Under the revised VB-GRAM-G framework, Mein said the unemployment allowance would be strengthened, and accountability improved through robust monitoring.

"Administrative expenditure has been increased from 6 per cent to 9 per cent to ensure timely payment of wages. The scheme will be integrated with PM Gati Shakti and advanced technologies, with emphasis on durable asset creation, biometric authentication and digital monitoring to enhance transparency and prevent duplication," he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Lok Sabha MP from the state Tapir Gao said misconceptions raised by the opposition in Parliament had been clarified by the Union Agriculture Minister.

Meanwhile, Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief Bosiram Siram on Wednesday accused the BJP of trying to dilute rural employment rights by replacing the rights-based MGNREGA with the VB-GRAM-G framework, calling it a misleading exercise that could deprive beneficiaries of their constitutional entitlements.

In a statement here, Siram said the ruling party was projecting VB-GRAM-G as a "transformative reform" while hiding its long-term risks. He alleged that the BJP was presenting a one-sided narrative and avoiding serious questions raised by the opposition on the dilution of guaranteed rural employment.

Siram said MGNREGA was a statutory, demand-driven right to work, whereas VB-GRAM-G converts that right into a government-controlled, budget-linked scheme.

The APCC president also raised concern over the 90:10 funding pattern, warning that it would place a heavy financial burden on tribal states with limited revenue capacity and difficult terrain. PTI UPL UPL RG