Chennai: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking key amendments to the newly introduced Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-GRAMG] Scheme, which took effect on July 1, 2026.
The Chief Minister said the scheme, in its current form, would impose an additional financial burden of over ₹5,000 crore on the State and could affect the delivery of rural employment.
In his letter, a copy of which was circulated to the media, Vijay requested that the Centre retain 100% funding for wage and administrative components and adopt a 75:25 funding ratio for material costs instead of the proposed 60:40 Centre-State sharing pattern.
He also sought greater autonomy for Tamil Nadu to determine village-level fund allocation based on local socio-economic conditions, rather than following a centrally prescribed formula.
The Chief Minister further urged the Centre to allow District Collectors to dynamically declare peak agricultural seasons, citing climate variability, and to extend the scheme's convergence benefits to State-funded rural housing programmes. He also called for decentralising approvals for convergence with State and local schemes to avoid administrative delays.
Vijay requested that the rural employment programme continue to bear Mahatma Gandhi's name, saying it would honour his legacy and uphold the scheme's core principles. He expressed confidence that the proposed changes would strengthen implementation, improve rural livelihoods, and enhance the scheme's impact across Tamil Nadu.
