Agartala, February 11, 2026: Union Minister for Agriculture, Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday announced that a massive outlay of Rs 10 lakh crore will be spent over the next 10 years under the Vikshi Bharat–Guarantee for Employment and Livelihood Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) scheme for the overall development of rural India.
Addressing a conference on the VB-G RAM G scheme at Swami Vivekananda Maidan here, Chouhan described the initiative as “a comprehensive roadmap for rural India” that will play a crucial role in building a Vikshi Bharat.
“This scheme has been designed with the participation of people from all sections of society. It will further strengthen the rural economy and ensure sustainable livelihood opportunities,” he said.
Highlighting a key feature of the scheme, the Union Minister said it guarantees 125 days of employment per year to every worker, significantly higher than the previous 100-day work guarantee. “If any worker is not provided employment despite seeking work, there is a provision for unemployment allowance. Moreover, in case of delay in wage payments, workers will receive their dues along with interest,” he asserted.
Chouhan informed that Rs 1,51,282 crore has already been allocated for rural development programmes, and an additional Rs 55,000 crore will be provided through the Finance Commission, taking the total allocation to over Rs 2 lakh crore in the next five years. He added that during this period, each gram panchayat will receive an average of Rs 1.50 crore to Rs 2.75 crore.
Drawing a comparison with the previous UPA regime, Chouhan said, “During the UPA government, Rs 2.13 lakh crore was spent on rural employment in ten years, whereas the NDA government has spent Rs 8.54 lakh crore in the last decade.”
To improve implementation, the administrative cost under the scheme has been increased from 6 percent to 9 percent. “This will ensure that Panchayat Secretaries, Employment Assistants, Clerks and Technical Staff do not face salary-related issues,” he said.
Referring to Tripura, the Minister alleged that rural areas did not witness significant development under previous Left and Congress governments. “The present government is ensuring that no poor family has to live in a mud house by constructing pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana,” he stated.
Dismissing criticism of the VB-G RAM G project as “a false campaign,” Chouhan said tribals, backward classes and other economically weaker sections would be the primary beneficiaries.
During the programme, the Union Minister inaugurated and laid the foundation stones of 179 rural development projects in Tripura involving a total investment of Rs 546.79 crore.
