Implementation of VB-G RAM G begins in West Bengal

The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), a 125-day job scheme, was rolled out in West Bengal on Wednesday (July 1, 2026).

The government job guarantee scheme resumes in the State after almost four years. In March 2022, the Union Government stopped releasing funds to the West Bengal Government for the 100-day MGNREGA job scheme, alleging financial irregularities by the Trinamool Congress government of the time.

In the 2026-27 West Bengal Budget, ₹14,000 crore was allocated for employment under the VB-G RAM G scheme. Under the new scheme, the expenditure will be shared on a 60:40 basis between the Centre and the State. The Union Government has already allotted ₹8,508 crore to Bengal, while the State has allotted its share of ₹5,672 crore.

Minister for Panchayat and Rural Development Dilip Ghosh said that funding would never be a constraint for the scheme and the Centre had assured the State that pending MGNREGS dues would be released after verification.

The Minister noted that about 2,000 non-functioning panchayats pose administrative hurdles to the implementation of the scheme. After the change of regime in West Bengal, several panchayats which were administered by Trinamool Congress are now lying defunct.

Inadequate says union

Paschim Banga Khet Majoor Samity (PBKMS), a union of agricultural workers, has pointed out that the allocation for VB-G RAM G scheme is less than half of what is required for the state.

“With 75.97 lakh active job cards in West Bengal and an average cost of ₹313.30 per person day, the available funds will generate only about 60 days of work per active job card. To provide the legally guaranteed 125 days, the total requirement is estimated at ₹29,752 crore,” the Union had written to State Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta.

The PBKMS has also pointed out that under the VB-GRAMG Act, as per Section 22(8), unemployment allowance, and delayed compensation are the responsibility of the State Government.

“If wages are delayed, workers must receive compensation. These are not optional welfare measures; they are statutory entitlements. We therefore request that the State Budget include a separate provision for unemployment allowance and delayed compensation, so that workers are not forced to suffer because of administrative delays or failure to provide work,’ the union said.

In another development, West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari said on Wednesday that the first tranche of funds under the Annapurna Yojana, a financial assistance scheme for women, was transferred to nearly 1.1 crore beneficiaries on Wednesday (July 1). Mr. Adhikari also said 1.6 crore applications were received for the scheme, and 26 lakh were rejected on grounds of doubts over citizenship and domicile status. The Annapurna Yojana was introduced by the BJP government to provide a monthly allowance of ₹3,000 to eligible women, replacing the Lakshmir Bhandar programme of the previous Trinamool Congress regime.