Staff Reporter
Guwahati: With the renaming of the MGNREGA scheme as VB-G RAM G (Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission Gramin), eligible job cardholder households will now be provided 125 days of work instead of the earlier 100 days. But the fact remains that the performance of the scheme in Assam was not up to the mark even when job cardholders were guaranteed 100 days of work in a year.
In the financial year 2025-26, only 7,228 job cardholder households were provided 100 days of work under this rural employment scheme. It will now be a major challenge for the Panchayat and Rural Development department and gaon panchayats, the implementing agencies of the scheme, to provide 125 days of work in one financial year (FY), as stipulated in the VB-G RAM G scheme.
As per statistics, there are 34.17 lakh active job cards in the state, covering 48.01 lakh active workers as of June 2026.
There are 199 development blocks under the Panchayat and Rural Development Department. It has now come to light that 17 of these development blocks could not provide a single job cardholder household with 100 days of work in FY 2025-26. These blocks are Katigorah in the Cachar district, Diyung Valley in the Dima Hasao district, Harangajao in the Dima Hasao district, Rangjuli in the Goalpara district, Katlicherra in the Hailakandi district, Bongaon in the Kamrup district, Bilashipara in the Kokrajhar district, Golakganj in the Kokrajhar district, Mahamaya in the Kokrajhar district, Bajiagaon in the Nagaon district, Dolongghat in the Nagaon district, Kaliabor in the Nagaon district, Niz Dhing in the Nagaon district, Bihaguri in the Sonitpur district, Rangapara in the Sonitpur district, Borsola in the Udalguri district and Khoirabari in the Udalguri district.
Significantly, there are 8 development blocks that provided only one household with 100 days of work in FY 2025-26. On the other hand, Rangia (part) development in the Kamrup district has achieved the distinction of providing the highest of 250 households with 100 days of work in FY 2025-26.
In the new ministry, Chief Minister Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma has entrusted the responsibility of the Panchayat and Rural Development department to Atul Bora. Now, it will depend upon Minister Atul Bora and his team to provide 125 days of work to job cardholders under VB G RAM-G.
The VB G RAM-G Act came into effect on July 1, 2026, of the current financial year. The daily wage of job cardholders has now been increased from Rs 256 to Rs 300.
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