The Chhattisgarh Government on Thursday launched the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)(VB G-RAM G), extending guaranteed wage employment for rural families to 125 days, increasing the daily wage for unskilled workers to Rs 300 and setting in motion a Rs 3,300-crore programme aimed at creating durable rural assets, strengthening livelihoods and accelerating village infrastructure. The State-level programme was held at Gandaikhurd Gram Panchayat in Kabirdham district, where Deputy Chief Minister and Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Vijay Sharma formally launched the scheme. The national launch was carried out virtually from Tirupati by Union Minister for Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan, who addressed beneficiaries and officials across the country. Calling the initiative a transformative step for rural India, Chouhan said the scheme seeks to ensure that no poor household remains unemployed due to a lack of work. He said the enhanced employment guarantee, coupled with rural infrastructure creation, would improve livelihoods, strengthen village economies and contribute to the vision of a developed India by 2047. Announcing the State’s implementation roadmap, Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma said the Centre has earmarked Rs 3,300 crore for Chhattisgarh under the scheme. He described VB G-RAM G as a comprehensive rural development mission rather than merely an employment programme, adding that it would generate sustainable livelihoods while creating productive community assets. He also approved the construction of a community shed at Gandaikhurd, making it the first development project sanctioned under the scheme in Chhattisgarh.

 

The Deputy Chief Minister said the mission includes 318 categories of development works, comprising 107 related to water conservation, 90 to rural infrastructure, 86 to livelihood enhancement and 35 to disaster management. As part of the revamped framework, existing job cards will be replaced by Gramin Rozgar Guarantee (GRG) Card. Priority works under the scheme include farm ponds, check dams, boulder check dams, recharge pits, rainwater harvesting structures, canal lining, rural roads, community sheds, cattle shelters, solar and street lighting, warehouses, cold storage units, agricultural processing centres, handloom processing centres and work sheds for self-help groups. Gram Panchayats will prepare location-specific development plans to generate employment while addressing local infrastructure and resource management needs. Sharma said villages would be categorised into A, B and C groups to facilitate planned and need-based development. He also highlighted the State’s rural housing achievements, stating that nearly 11 lakh houses had been completed over the past two and a half years, reflecting the Government’s commitment to improving rural living standards. Pandariya MLA Bhawna Bohra described the launch as a historic milestone for Chhattisgarh. She said the extension of guaranteed employment to 125 days and the increase in the daily wage from Rs 261 to Rs 300 would provide greater financial security to rural households and strengthen the rural economy. The launch programme was attended by senior public representatives, officials and villagers. To mark the occasion, participants formed a human chain to promote awareness of the scheme and encourage public participation in rural development initiatives.

 

A large-scale plantation drive was also organised under the ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam” campaign, reinforcing the government’s focus on environmental conservation alongside rural development.