Rural development and panchayat minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on Sunday said that the government has made comprehensive arrangements to ensure a smooth transition from MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) to the newly implemented VB G RAM G (Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission) scheme.
Sond said that while MGNREGA remained operational till June 30, the VB G RAM G scheme came into effect from July 1.
Under MGNREGA, salaries and wages were fully funded by the Centre, while material costs were shared in a 75:25 ratio between the Union government and the state.
“Under the new scheme, salaries, wages and material costs are being shared in a 60:40 ratio between the Centre and the state. The scheme continues to provide a statutory guarantee of employment to every eligible person seeking work,” he said in an official statement.
All beneficiaries holding valid MGNREGA job cards will automatically continue to receive employment under the new scheme, the minister said.
“New beneficiaries can also enrol under the scheme and, for this purpose, job card registration camps will be organised in every gram panchayat from July 20 onwards. The camp will also update the details of existing beneficiaries,” he added.
Sond said that the department has also made alternate arrangements to ensure continuity of services during the transition period. “Around 1,200 gram rozgar sahayaks (GRSs) were earlier responsible for issuing muster rolls and maintaining attendance. In view of the present situation, around 4,000 employees from other rural development department schemes have been assigned these responsibilities and have already completed their training. Similarly, junior engineers of the department have been entrusted with the responsibilities of technical assistants for preparing estimates and measurement books, while additional staff at the block level have also been deployed after completing the necessary training,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}Sond said that the department has also made alternate arrangements to ensure continuity of services during the transition period. “Around 1,200 gram rozgar sahayaks (GRSs) were earlier responsible for issuing muster rolls and maintaining attendance. In view of the present situation, around 4,000 employees from other rural development department schemes have been assigned these responsibilities and have already completed their training. Similarly, junior engineers of the department have been entrusted with the responsibilities of technical assistants for preparing estimates and measurement books, while additional staff at the block level have also been deployed after completing the necessary training,” he added.
{{/usCountry}}The minister said that the department has also offered a consolidated salary increase of around 10% over the existing pay.
“Unlike the earlier annual contracts under MGNREGA, employees under the new scheme will now be given contracts of longer tenure to provide greater continuity, stability and job security, he said, adding that the demand for revised pay scales at par with regular employees can be considered only after the process of regularisation is completed.
Sond said that salaries of technical assistants up to May 2026 have already been released, while salaries of gram rozgar sahayaks and other staff up to January 2026 have also been cleared. “The delay occurred due to the late release of funds by the Centre and subsequent disruption caused by the employees’ strike, but the pending bills were cleared in coordination with the treasury after submission,” he added.