Raipur: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Dev Sai on Monday announced the state’s most significant rural development scheme, the “Viksit Bharat Gram-Jyoti (G-Ram-Ji) Act, 2025,”. The scheme will act as a historic step in rural development. It is a part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision. Heralded as a more effective, enhanced, and transparent version of the MNREGA scheme, the new Act, formally known as the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, is set to strengthen the rural economy.
Addressing a press conference at the State BJP office, CM Sai confirmed that the key and most impactful feature of the legislation is the legal assurance of 125 days of guaranteed employment for all registered rural families, a substantial increase from the current 100 days. This expansion is expected to boost laborers' income significantly, providing greater financial stability to villages across the state. Furthermore, a critical financial reform targets the long-standing issue of payment delays by mandating that all wages be disbursed within a strict deadline of seven days. Crucially, any payments delayed beyond this stipulated period will incur an additional compensation, which will be treated exactly like interest for the affected laborers.
In a move to safeguard agricultural activities and prevent a labor crunch, the Act also mandates a 60-day pause in project work during the critical sowing and harvesting seasons. This measure is specifically intended to curb rural migration and stabilize agricultural production by ensuring farmers have access to sufficient local labor during these vital periods. CM Sai also emphasized that the robust new system is designed to eliminate prevalent issues that plagued the former scheme, such as the creation of fake master rolls and complications in the registration process, thereby increasing transparency and ensuring that direct and measurable benefits reach only the genuine laborers.
The G-Ram-Ji Act is structured around four critical areas of focus: water security, rural infrastructure, disaster security, and livelihood enrichment, and it will prioritize essential works such as water conservation and the development of irrigation structures. Ultimately, the legislation is expected to bolster and integrate activities like agriculture, animal husbandry, and skill development, paving the way for sustainable employment and long-term prosperity in villages, he said. The financial shift in the Centre-State expenditure ratio for these rural employment schemes to 60:40 under the new Act, however, will put an estimated additional financial burden of Rs 2,000 crore on the state of Chhattisgarh. During the press conference several state BJP office-bearers, including General Secretary Yashwant Jain and Akhilesh Soni were present.
