"Ministry Notifies 375 Permissible Works Under New Rural Employment Scheme"
Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP)
the local development plan a Gram Panchayat prepares under VB-G RAM G
Gram Sabha
the village assembly of all registered voters in a Panchayat area
Rural wage-employment schemes in India go back to Article 41. This is a Directive Principle of State Policy. It is a guiding goal for the state, not a court-enforceable right. Article 41 directs the state to secure the right to work. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 turned this principle into a legal guarantee. It promised at least 100 days of unskilled wage work per rural household each year. Older area-development schemes had already tried to fight water scarcity in specific regions. These schemes tackled drought and desertification. But they ran as separate, narrowly-focused programmes rather than one integrated works list. Much of this water-conservation work was later folded into the employment guarantee's own Schedule of Permissible Works. This is the official list of asset types that could be built using guaranteed wage labour.
In 2025, Parliament replaced this law with the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, known as VB-G RAM G. This new law raised the annual guarantee to 125 days per household. It gave Gram Panchayats a central planning role through the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan. This builds on constitutional devolution already made to Panchayats. The 73rd Constitutional Amendment inserted the Eleventh Schedule. The Eleventh Schedule lists 29 subjects devolved to Panchayats. These subjects include minor irrigation, rural housing and drinking water. Central programmes have run for several years. They build Panchayats' governance capacity for such subjects and for the Sustainable Development Goals. The new plan is the latest attempt to put that capacity to direct use.
The Ministry of Rural Development has now notified the Schedule of Permissible Works under VB-G RAM G. This is the rulebook deciding what kind of work a household can be assigned when it demands employment. This Schedule shapes both the quality of assets created and which sectors benefit from the guarantee.
Older area-development schemes like the Drought-Prone Area Programme and Desert Development Programme were managed by different ministries. Agriculture managed one, and Environment and Forests managed the other. They ran as separate, narrowly-focused programmes rather than integrated into a single works framework. The Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) was a central programme. It was designed to build Panchayats' governance capacity for subjects listed in the Eleventh Schedule and for delivering on the Sustainable Development Goals.
The Schedule notifies 375 permissible works across four thematic pillars. This is a 41% rise over the 266 works allowed earlier. It replaces a plain list of asset types with four grouped themes. These themes are: Water Security, Core Rural Infrastructure, Livelihood-related Infrastructure, and Special Works for Extreme Weather Events and Disaster Preparedness.
Water Security gets the largest share, with 128 works. These include check dams, recharge shafts, river and nallah rejuvenation, drip and sprinkler irrigation. Newer additions include ice-stupas and artificial glaciers for water conservation in high-altitude areas. Core Rural Infrastructure follows with 111 works. These cover solar street lighting, rural health centres, Common Service Centres, and repair of Jal Jeevan Mission water-supply assets. Livelihood-related Infrastructure has 98 works. These cover agro-processing units, cold storage, market yards and infrastructure for Self-Help Groups. …
Consider the following pairs:
Programme/Project : Ministry
1.Drought-Prone Area Programme : Ministry of Agriculture
2.Desert Development Programme : Ministry of Environment and Forests
3.National Watershed Development Project for Rainfed Areas : Ministry of Rural Development
Which of the above pairs is/are correctly matched?
Which of the following statements with respect to the Revamped Rashtriya Gram Swaraj Abhiyan (RGSA) is/are correct?
1.The period of its implementation is 1st April, 2021 to 31st March, 2026.
2.The key objective of the Revamped RGSA is to develop the governance capabilities of the Panchayati Raj Institutions to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals.
3.The share of the Central funding for the Revamped RGSA is 100% for all States and Union Territories.
Select the answer using the code given below:
With reference to the Schedule of Permissible Works notified under the VB-G RAM G Act, consider the following statements:
1.The Schedule notifies 375 permissible works, a 41% increase over the earlier list.
2.The Water Security pillar has the highest number of works among the four thematic pillars.
3.Every work under the Schedule must be approved by the Gram Sabha before it can be taken up.
How many of the above statements are correct?
With reference to the VB-G RAM G Act, which of the following statements is/are correct?
1.It replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.
2.It raised the annual employment guarantee entitlement from 100 to 125 days per household.
3.It introduced mandatory identity verification as a condition for accessing guaranteed work.
Match List I (Thematic Pillar under the new VB-G RAM G Schedule of Permissible Works) with List II (Number of Works) and select the correct answer using the code given below:
List I
A.Water Security
B.Core Rural Infrastructure
C.Livelihood-related Infrastructure
D.Special Works for Disaster Preparedness
List II
1.98
2.111
3.128
4.38
Consider the following statements regarding the constitutional basis for rural employment guarantee and Panchayat devolution in India:
1.Article 41 is a Directive Principle of State Policy directing the state to secure the right to work.
2.The Eleventh Schedule was inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act.
3.The Eleventh Schedule lists subjects such as minor irrigation and rural housing for devolution to Panchayats.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
Consider the following statements regarding the newly notified Schedule of Permissible Works under VB-G RAM G:
1.The share of livelihood-related works increased from about 1% to around 26% of total permissible works.
2.This increase reflects a shift from a fixed asset-type list toward livelihood generation and measurable outcomes.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
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