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Centre to deploy over 100 Area Officers for rollout of rural employment mission

The Ministry of Rural Development will deploy more than 100 Area Officers across the country to support states and Union Territories in implementing the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025, which is set to come into force on July 1.

According to the ministry, the officers will work closely with state governments, district administrations and field-level functionaries to facilitate implementation, strengthen local capacities, promote knowledge sharing and help address operational challenges.

The initiative is aimed at ensuring a smooth transition to the new rural employment framework. To prepare them for the role, the Department of Rural Development recently conducted an orientation programme covering the Act’s provisions, implementation framework, institutional arrangements and technology-enabled governance systems. The programme was chaired by Rural Development Secretary Rohit Kansal.

The ministry said extensive preparations have already been completed ahead of the rollout, including an interim central allocation of ₹95,692 crore for 2026-27, onboarding of all States and UTs onto the DBT-SPARSH platform, completion of e-KYC for nearly 93 per cent of active workers and nationwide implementation of a face authentication-based attendance system.

So far, 27 States and UTs have made budgetary provisions for the Act, while six have notified their state schemes under the new framework. The Act seeks to link guaranteed wage employment with livelihood promotion, climate resilience, rural infrastructure development and technology-driven governance as part of the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision.

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