Ensuring rural employment
The Jammu and Kashmir government’s notification of the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Scheme, 2026, effective July 1, marks a decisive upgrade in how the Union Territory approaches rural employment.
Replacing MGNREGA under the VB-G RAM-G Act, 2025, the scheme aligns J&K with the broader national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 while addressing ground realities unique to the region. Its design signals four clear positives: stronger livelihood security, agriculture-aware planning, digital accountability, and a sharper focus on durable assets.
Raising the employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days annually is more than a numerical change. For rural households facing seasonal income gaps, especially in hilly districts with short working seasons, the extra 25 days translate into nearly two months of additional wage security.
The commitment to provide work within 15 days, backed by an unemployment allowance, and to release wages weekly or fortnightly, addresses the chronic delays that undermined MGNREGA’s impact. Timely pay is not a procedural detail; it is the difference between a safety net and a source of debt.
A frequent criticism of past public works was that they competed with farm labour during sowing and harvest. VB-G RAM-G introduces a mandatory 60-day pause during peak agricultural seasons.
This simple, pragmatic rule protects crop productivity while still meeting employment goals. It recognizes that rural livelihoods are not just about wage work but also about the viability of small farms. By sequencing public employment around the agrarian calendar, the scheme reduces friction between food security and job creation.
The scheme’s digital architecture is its most modern feature. Biometric and face-authenticated attendance, geofenced worksites, GPS monitoring, AI analytics, and real-time public dashboards create multiple checks against leakage.
Bilingual electronic muster rolls and mandatory on-site disclosures put information in the hands of the worker. Banning contractors and labour-displacing machinery reaffirms the programme’s core purpose: generating human work, not outsourcing it. Together, these tools can rebuild trust in a system often marred by ghost workers and inflated measurements.
VB-G RAM-G shifts emphasis from “digging and filling” to asset creation in four priority areas: water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood enhancement, and climate resilience. Planning through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans with GIS and PM Gati Shakti layers means roads, check dams, or irrigation channels will be chosen for saturation and convergence, not duplication. The goal is to leave behind infrastructure that supports farming, tourism, and small enterprise long after wages are paid.
Special provisions for single women, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, PVTGs, released bonded labourers, and transgender persons, through dedicated Gramin Rozgar Guarantee Cards, embed equity into delivery. The one-third reservation for women is a floor, not a ceiling, in a region where female labour participation needs encouragement.
A 90:10 cost-sharing model with the Centre, plus enhanced administrative funds, gives Panchayats the staff and systems to implement effectively. Time-bound grievance redress, social audits, and independent evaluations are not add-ons but built into the law, signaling a shift from entitlement to accountability.
However, no scheme is perfect on paper. Success will depend on training Panchayat functionaries, maintaining the tech systems, and ensuring the 60-day farm pause is enforced in spirit. Yet the architecture of VB-G RAM-G is promising: it protects agriculture, pays on time, builds lasting assets, and uses technology to keep itself honest. If implemented well, it can convert rural employment from a stopgap to a foundation for a Viksit Jammu and Kashmir.
