Maharashtra Drought: EGS Minister Bharat Gogawale Orders Immediate Jobs Under VB-G RAM G, Special Action Plan For Affected Areas

Mumbai: Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) Minister Bharat Gogawale has directed officials to ensure immediate employment for people seeking work under the ‘VB-G RAM G’ programme, particularly in drought-affected areas, and to prepare a special action plan to tackle the situation.

Rural Economy In Focus

Reviewing the implementation of the Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Viksit Bharat-G RAM G and Livelihood Guarantee Mission through a video conference on Monday, Gogawale said employment generation, water conservation and strengthening the rural economy should be the key priorities in drought-hit regions.

He directed district and gram panchayat-level authorities to undertake employment-generating works on a war footing based on demand from workers. Priority should be given to drought-affected villages and areas witnessing high demand for employment, he said.

Gogawale also stressed the need to prevent migration of rural labourers by taking up labour-intensive works on a large scale. He directed officials to ensure timely registration of workers, processing of work demands and prompt payment of wages through MahaDBT for work undertaken against job cards.

Focus on water conservation

The minister called for large-scale implementation of water conservation and water security works to improve both immediate and long-term water availability. These include revival of public ponds, repair and maintenance of traditional water sources, percolation tanks, earthen and gabion bunds, gully plugs, recharge pits, farm ponds and irrigation wells.

He also called for promoting individual-benefit works that can improve farm productivity and help rural families withstand drought conditions while creating durable assets. Community-based works aimed at strengthening local water resources should also be taken up on priority, he said.

State-Level Task Force Planned

A state-level task force will be constituted to accelerate EGS works in drought-affected areas. The task force will focus on increasing the number of works, generating local employment and curbing migration. Senior officials from the EGS department, the mission, divisional administration and the Latur district administration will be part of the task force.

Gogawale further instructed district collectors, EGS officials, Zilla Parishad chief executive officers and block development officers to undertake field visits and personally monitor the progress of works. Vacancies in the field machinery should also be filled immediately wherever required.

He said the administration should work in coordination with sarpanchs, gram sevaks, elected representatives and other officials to ensure that government schemes reach people in need.

The department will conduct weekly district-wise reviews and fortnightly state-level reviews of drought-relief measures. The meeting also reviewed employment generation in person-days, pending central funds, material expenditure, ongoing VB-G RAM G works, gram panchayat-wise progress and overall expenditure under the scheme.

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Published on: Tuesday, October 06, 2026, 12:56 AM IST