Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 1 Jul: The Centre’s Viksit Bharat–Grameen Rozgar Aur Aajeevika Mission Guarantee (VB-GRAM-G) came into force across the country today, replacing the existing employment framework with a new rural livelihood and wage guarantee system. Along with the launch of the scheme, the Central Government has also notified revised wage rates for rural workers, ensuring that no worker anywhere in the country receives less than Rs 300 per day. In Uttarakhand, where around 7.58 lakh workers are active under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), nearly 92 per cent have already completed their e-KYC.
With the implementation of VB-GRAM-G across all states and Union Territories, the minimum daily wage has been fixed at Rs 300 nationwide. The biggest beneficiaries are expected to be states where the existing wage rates are below this threshold, including Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Assam and West Bengal. The new scheme has simultaneously come into effect in Uttarakhand, resulting in an increase of approximately 15 to 25 per cent in daily wages for rural workers in the state.
Following the latest notification, the average daily wage across the country is expected to increase from around Rs 299 to more than Rs 327. For the first time, the Government of India has fixed a national minimum base wage of Rs 300 per day. Until now, several states had been paying daily wages below this level. In Uttarakhand, workers under the earlier MGNREGA framework were receiving a daily wage of Rs 252. With the implementation of the Viksit Bharat–Grameen Rozgar Aur Aajeevika Mission Guarantee (Rural), the daily wage in the state has now crossed the Rs 300 mark.
Uttarakhand Government has also completed the formalities required for implementation of the new scheme. Rural Development Secretary Dheeraj Garbyal has issued the necessary notification for the roll-out of VB-GRAM-G in the state. Preparations to implement the programme in mission mode have been finalised, with all 7,817 Gram Panchayats in Uttarakhand mapped and the relevant details uploaded on the Centre’s Yuktidhara Portal. Of the 7.58 lakh active workers previously registered under MGNREGA, about 92 per cent have completed the mandatory e-KYC process.
The officials claim that Uttarakhand had already begun preparations soon after the Government of India decided to replace MGNREGA with VB-GRAM-G as part of the broader vision of Viksit Bharat 2047. It may be reminded that the Centre had issued a notification on 11 May directing all states and Union Territories to implement the new scheme from 1 July, 2026, and instructed them to issue the necessary state notifications by 30 June. In line with these directions, Uttarakhand has also issued the required notification. State authorities had, however, commenced preparations immediately after the Centre’s notification was issued in May.
Under VB-GRAM-G, approval has been accorded for 318 categories of works under four broad thematic sectors. These include 107 categories of works relating to water security, 86 categories linked to rural livelihoods, 88 categories concerning rural infrastructure and 37 categories focused on disaster mitigation. In addition, all works that were previously permissible under MGNREGA will continue to remain eligible under the new scheme, ensuring continuity while expanding the scope of rural employment and livelihood generation.
