New Delhi: The government today told Parliament that the VB-G RAM-G Act, 2025, will be integrated with the PM Gati Shakti National Master Plan through village-level development plans that are digitally mapped and aligned with national infrastructure and planning systems.
In a written reply to the Rajya Sabha, Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said the new law seeks to link rural employment generation with long-term development planning under the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047.
Under the Act, rural households whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work will be entitled to a statutory wage employment guarantee of 125 days in a financial year. The minister said this expanded employment guarantee framework is designed to strengthen livelihood security while ensuring that work taken up in villages is connected with broader development priorities.
Explaining the mechanism of integration with PM Gati Shakti, Paswan said the Act provides for convergence, saturation-driven planning and a whole-of-government delivery approach through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans. These plans will serve as the basic planning units and will be integrated with the PM Gati Shakti platform using geospatial systems, digital public infrastructure and district and state planning mechanisms.
He said development plans prepared by Gram Panchayats will be aggregated at block, district, state and national levels under the PM Gati Shakti framework. This will allow works undertaken under the employment guarantee scheme to be planned in coordination with other government programmes and infrastructure projects, instead of being implemented in isolation.
The minister said this structure is intended to ensure that the specific needs of each Gram Panchayat are addressed while remaining aligned with coordinated planning across departments and tiers of government. The integration with PM Gati Shakti, he added, will help connect village-level execution with wider development strategies through unified digital and geospatial planning tools.
Paswan also outlined the role of Panchayati Raj Institutions in implementing the Act. Panchayats at the district, intermediate and village levels have been designated as the principal authorities for planning, implementation and monitoring of schemes under the VB-G RAM-G framework.
At the district level, Panchayats will oversee and coordinate the execution of the scheme, including finalising and approving consolidated district plans. Their responsibilities will include supervision of works, ensuring convergence with other government programmes and performing functions assigned by state governments.
At the intermediate or block level, Panchayats will prepare and finalise aggregate block plans, support Gram Panchayats in planning and implementation, supervise works at both block and village levels and facilitate coordination with line departments.
At the village level, the Gram Panchayat has been placed at the centre of the scheme’s operational structure. It will register rural households, issue Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards, receive and process applications for employment and maintain all records prescribed under the Act.
Gram Panchayats will execute works allotted by the Programme Officer and may take up any sanctioned activity included in the approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan within their jurisdiction. Paswan said at least 50 per cent of the total works, in cost terms, must be implemented through Gram Panchayats.
The Act also lays down detailed transparency and accountability requirements. Gram Panchayats must maintain muster rolls and statutory records, ensure that works meet prescribed technical standards and measurements, and comply with digital and transparency norms. All relevant documents, including muster rolls, bills, vouchers, measurement books, sanction orders and geo-tagged digital records, are to be placed before the Gram Sabha to allow regular social audits and public scrutiny.
The minister said the law further stipulates that every Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan must be prepared by the Gram Panchayat and approved by the Gram Sabha before it is taken up for implementation, as provided in Schedule I of the Act. He added that the experience gained from the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has been taken into account while framing the new legislation.
– global bihari bureau
