E-Paper
Centre notifies new grievance rules under VB-G RAM G Act. How it will work
The VB-G RAM G (Grievance Redressal) Rules require state governments to establish grievance redressal mechanisms at the gram panchayat, block and district levels
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The central government has notified a new grievance redressal mechanism under the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025, allowing people to submit complaints about the scheme’s implementation through multiple channels, including digital platforms.
The VB-G RAM G (Grievance Redressal) Rules, 2026, notified by the Ministry of Rural Development on November 2, require state governments to establish grievance redressal mechanisms at the gram panchayat, block and district levels. They also set timelines for state governments to examine complaints, resolve them, and escalate pending cases.
According to the ministry, the new regime aims to make grievance redressal “more accessible, transparent and accountable” and ensure citizens’ concerns receive “timely attention and appropriate action”.
Deep Dive
Here is how the mechanism will work.
Who can file a complaint?
Any person can submit a grievance relating to any matter arising out of or connected with the implementation of the scheme. This complaint or representation can be submitted orally, in writing, or through digital means. Applicants are encouraged to provide their full name and contact details, or those of another person.
Where and how can a complaint be filed?
The rules provide for complaints to be submitted through four channels:
In person before the designated grievance redressal officer;
By speed post, with registration and proof of delivery;
Through the digital public infrastructure for redressal of grievances designated by the Centre, and
By telephone, through designated helplines or through any other mode decided by the state government.
Complaints submitted physically at the gram panchayat, block or district level must be entered on the designated digital platform on the same day. If that is not possible, they must be registered no later than the next working day.
Once a complaint is registered, the applicant must receive an acknowledgment containing the registration number, date of receipt and designation of the authority receiving it. The acknowledgment will be in electronic form for digital complaints and physical for complaints submitted in person or through other physical channels.
Can officials refuse to register a complaint?
The rules say no. According to Rule 4(5): “No grievance shall be refused registration on the ground of format, language, manner of submission or any procedural deficiency.”
What happens after a complaint is registered?
The designated grievance redressal officer must examine every registered complaint and conduct the necessary inquiry.
The officer can call for relevant records, registers, documents, reports, electronic data or other information from the authority or official holding them. The authority or official concerned must provide the information within the period specified by the officer.
Where necessary for proper disposal of the complaint, the complainant must be given a reasonable opportunity to be heard, either in person or electronically.
The rules prescribe seven working days to complete the inquiry and require that the grievance be resolved within 15 days of receipt.
The findings and action must be recorded and communicated to the complainant in the manner in which the complaint was made.
What if the complaint is not resolved within 15 days?
If a grievance remains unresolved for over 15 days, it must be escalated through the digital infrastructure to the next higher level under the state’s grievance redressal mechanism.
The higher authority must examine the complaint and take appropriate action. The rules also allow grievances to be escalated electronically until they are disposed of. The District Programme Coordinator will oversee grievance redressal at the district level and ensure that complaints are handled through the designated mechanism and digital public infrastructure.
The rules also provide for appeals.
Are there any limitations?
While the rules allow complaints to be made in person, by post and over the telephone, in addition to digital channels, extent to which these channels will remain accessible in practice will depend on how states establish and operate the system. The rules require states to create a multi-tier mechanism but do not specify a deadline to do so. They also refer to a digital platform to be designated by the Centre without naming the platform in the notification.
The real test
Tushar Agarwal, founder and managing partner of C.L.A.P. JURIS, Advocates & Solicitors, said the rules were a welcome step towards institutionalising accountability, but their effectiveness would depend on whether complaints led to actual relief.
“The real test of a grievance redressal framework is not merely how quickly a complaint is registered or disposed of, but whether the complainant actually receives an effective remedy,” he said.
Agarwal flagged a lack of clearly defined consequences for officials who fail to meet the prescribed timelines or neglect their grievance redressal responsibilities. He also pointed to a possible ambiguity in the rules, which prescribe seven working days for inquiry while allowing 15 days for resolution.
He said a digital grievance system could disadvantage rural workers with limited digital literacy, poor internet connectivity or restricted access to technology, despite the provision for physical and telephonic complaints. He also called for independent oversight in complaints involving officials or local authorities responsible for implementing the scheme.
“Administrative escalation alone may not always guarantee independent scrutiny,” he said.
Agarwal cautioned that grievance redressal should not become an exercise in generating registration numbers, meeting disposal targets and updating digital dashboards. The mechanism, he said, must provide reasoned decisions, enforceable accountability and meaningful remedies for workers.
