Gandhinagar: on Tuesday Gujarat Chief Minister Shri Bhupendrabhai Patel and Gujarat BJP State President Shri Jagdishbhai Vishwakarma addressed a press conference at the BJP state headquarters Shri Kamalam in Koba–Gandhinagar, elaborating on the Viksit Bharat Rojgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) – VB-G RAM-G Act, 2025. The leaders highlighted the Act as a landmark reform aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods, employment, and economic security.
Addressing the media, Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel said that under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendrabhai Modi over the past 11 years, public welfare has remained central to every policy decision, giving new direction and momentum to India’s development. He said special attention has been given to the poorest and most marginalised sections of society, enabling them to join the mainstream of development through schemes related to housing, health, nutrition and livelihoods. As a result, more than 25 crore people have been lifted out of poverty in the last decade, he added.
The Chief Minister said the VB-G RAM-G scheme has been introduced to further empower rural poor and labourers by ensuring more employment, higher income and greater economic security. While MGNREGA earlier guaranteed 100 days of work, VB-G RAM-G will provide a guarantee of 125 days of employment. In addition, to support agricultural productivity, the scheme includes a provision to pause work for up to 60 days during sowing and harvesting seasons, enabling labourers to participate in farm activities. This will allow beneficiaries to access employment opportunities for up to 185 days in a year.
He said the scheme will create a robust development ecosystem from the Central Government to Gram Panchayats, strengthening the vision of Gram Swaraj and balanced development. Focus areas of the mission include water security, rural infrastructure development, employment generation, and protection against natural disasters. To ensure transparency and effective implementation, advanced technology such as biometric authentication, geo-tagging and real-time dashboards will be used. Provisions have also been made for timely wage payments and compensation in case of delays. Describing the scheme as a symbol of respect for labour, the Chief Minister said it would play a key role in realising the Prime Minister’s vision of “Har Haath Ko Kaam, Har Kaam Ka Samman.”
BJP State President Shri Jagdishbhai Vishwakarma said Prime Minister Narendra Modi is leading the nation with determination and foresight towards the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047, marking 100 years of Independence. He termed the VB-G RAM-G Act, 2025 a crucial and historic step by the Central Government to accelerate the rural economy, in line with the ideals of Mahatma Gandhi.
He pointed out that although MGNREGA was launched in 2005, rural India has undergone significant transformation since then. Rural poverty has declined sharply from 25.7 per cent in 2011–12 to 4.86 per cent in 2023–24, while infrastructure and livelihood opportunities have expanded. Hence, reforms were necessary to align employment schemes with present-day rural realities.
Unlike MGNREGA, which largely focused on manual labour such as earthwork and road construction, VB-G RAM-G aims to combine wage employment with skill development. The scheme will promote agriculture-based industries, animal husbandry, dairy, food processing, handicrafts, rural MSMEs and local enterprises, with the objective of transforming individuals into capable, confident future entrepreneurs, he said.
Shri Vishwakarma also highlighted key reforms such as weekly wage payments, real-time data uploads, GPS and mobile-based monitoring, biometric verification and the use of AI to enhance transparency and eliminate fake job cards and ineligible beneficiaries. He said that under the Modi government, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) ensures that funds reach beneficiaries directly, curbing corruption seen in earlier regimes.
Criticising the Congress, the BJP state president alleged that the party has historically opposed initiatives linked to “Ram, Gram and Kaam”—faith, village development and employment. He questioned the absence of senior Congress leaders during parliamentary discussions on VB-G RAM-G and said the party had failed to prioritise rural development and employment during its decades in power. He also pointed out that while around ₹2.5 lakh crore was spent on MGNREGA between 2004 and 2014, nearly ₹8.5 lakh crore has been spent between 2014 and 2024 under Prime Minister Modi’s leadership.
The press conference was attended by BJP State General Secretary Dr Prashant Korat and State Chief Spokesperson Dr Anil Patel & Prashant Vala Media Incharge among others.
