Schedule 1 of The Viksit Bharat—Guarantee for Rozgar And Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB—G Ram G (विकसित भारत—जी राम जी)Act, 2025

SCHEDULE I [See section 8(3)] Minimum features of Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB—G RAM G (विकवित भारत—जी राम जी) Scheme 1. The Scheme notified under section 8 of the Act by all States shall be called the “Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB—G RAM G (विकवित भारत—जी राम जी) Scheme” and all documents pertaining to the said Scheme shall have a mention of the Viksit BharatGuarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB—G RAM G (विकवित भारत—जी राम जी) Act, 2025. 2. All Scheme documents pertaining to the said Scheme shall have a mention of the Viksit—Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB—G RAM G (विकवितv भारत—जी राम जी) Act, 2025. 3. The core objectives of the Scheme shall be as follows:—(a) The primary objective of this Act is to align the rural development framework with the national vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 by providing an enhanced statutory wage-employment guarantee of one hundred and twenty-five days in each financial year to such rural households whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work, thereby enabling them to participate more effectively in the expanded livelihood security framework.

1. (b)To focus on empowerment, growth, convergence and saturation through public works aggregating into forming Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack, with a thematic focus on water security through water-related works, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure and special works to mitigate extreme weather events.
2. (c)To facilitate adequate farm-labour availability during peak agricultural seasons, and, in view of the wage-employment guarantee for the rural workforce.
3. (d)To institutionalise convergence, saturation-driven planning and whole of government delivery through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, integrated with the PM Gati Shakti to address the varying needs of Gram Panchayats, powered by geospatial systems, digital public infrastructure, district and State planning mechanisms, with such plans aggregated at the Block, District, State and National levels.
4. (e)To modernise governance, accountability and citizen engagement through a comprehensive digital ecosystem, including biometric authentication at various levels, global positioning system or mobile based worksite monitoring, real time management information system dashboards, proactive public disclosures and the use of Artificial Intelligence for planning, audits and fraud risk mitigation. 4. Works under the Scheme—(1) Focus of the Scheme-Classification of Works: The Scheme shall focus on the following categories of works, as identified in the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans and aggregated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack.

1. (2)For the purposes of section 4 of the Act, the works to be taken up under the Scheme, shall fall under the following Categories, together with their thematic focus and intended outcomes, namely:—
   1. (a)Category I—Water-Related Works (for Water Security)—
   2. (A)The focus shall include conservation, irrigation, groundwater recharge, source sustainability, rejuvenation of water bodies, watershed development and afforestation and the Illustrative works include—
      1. (i)construction of canals, flood or diversion channels, check dams, gully plugs and underground dykes;
      2. (ii)construction or rejuvenation of ponds, percolation tanks, recharge pits, recharge shafts, injection wells and associated water harvesting structures;
      3. (iii)irrigation open wells, micro-irrigation channels and field water distribution systems;
      4. (iv)reclamation of community waterlogged land;
      5. (v)afforestation and plantation works linked with soil and moisture conservation; and
      6. (vi)rooftop rainwater harvesting and other decentralised recharge systems.
   3. (B)Intended Outcomes—Strengthening of water security through integrated water resource management, recharge and conservation for long-term climate resilience.
   4. (b)Category II—Core Rural Infrastructure—
   5. (A)Thematic focus shall include core civic, social, governance and service-delivery infrastructure relating to education, health, drinking water, sanitation, connectivity, renewable energy and community services and the Illustrative works include—
      1. (i)construction or upgradation of rural roads, culverts, cross-drainage structures and village connectivity facilities;
      2. (ii)construction of Gram Panchayat Bhawans, Anganwadi centres, rural libraries and other public buildings;
      3. (iii)construction of school infrastructure, including kitchen sheds, additional classrooms, laboratories, compound walls and playgrounds;
      4. (iv)crematoria and community infrastructure;
      5. (v)solid and liquid waste management assets, including stabilising ponds, community sanitary complexes, and waste segregation and collection centres;
      6. (vi)installation of solar lighting systems and other renewable rural energy infrastructure;
      7. (vii)village parking areas, transport sheds and other common rural amenities;
      8. (viii)rural housing works permissible under the schemes of the Central Government, including those permitted under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana Gramin; and
      9. (ix)repair and maintenance of works created under the Jal Jeevan Mission for ensuring water supply.
   6. (B)Intended Outcome—Creation of foundational civic and social infrastructure ensuring basic amenities, improved service access and enhanced quality of life in rural areas.
   7. (c)Category III—Livelihood-related Infrastructure—
   8. (A)Thematic focus shall include productive assets and facilities that enhance rural livelihoods through agriculture, livestock, fisheries, value addition, skilling and enterprise development and the Illustrative works include—
      1. (i)construction of training-cum-skill development centres and work sheds for livelihood activities;
      2. (ii)rural haats or weekly markets and other market infrastructure;
      3. (iii)food grain storage buildings, agricultural produce storage structures, cold storage units and other agri-value chain infrastructure;
      4. (iv)buildings for Self Help Groups and federation-level institutions;
      5. (v)compost structures, including vermicompost and NADEP units;
      6. (vi)development of silvipasture grasslands, dairy infrastructure and shelters for cattle, goats, pigs, poultry and other livestock;
      7. (vii)fisheries-related infrastructure, including fish drying yards;
      8. (viii)raising of nurseries and production of building material; and
      9. (ix)Integrated projects promoting circular and cyclical economy models, as may be approved by the Central Government.
   9. (B)Intended Outcome—Strengthening of sustainable livelihoods, value addition, enterprise development and self-reliant rural economies.
   10. (d)Category IV—Special works to mitigate Extreme Weather Events and Disaster Preparedness—
   11. (A)Thematic focus shall include disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and protection of rural communities and assets from floods, cyclones, storms, droughts, landslides, forest fires and other extreme weather events and the Illustrative works include—
       1. (i)construction of cyclone shelters, flood shelters and multipurpose disaster resilient structures;
       2. (ii)construction of diversion channels, embankments and other disaster-mitigation works;
       3. (iii)stabilising ponds and water structures for flood management;
       4. (iv)post-disaster rehabilitation, restoration and repair of rural roads and community assets;
       5. (v)windbreak and shelterbelt plantations; and
       6. (vi)forest fire management works, including fire breaks, fuel buffer zones and allied measures.
   12. (B)Intended Outcome—Creation of climate-resilient villages capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions.
2. (3)Any other public work which may be notified by the Central Government.
3. (4)Maintenance of rural public assets created under the Act.
4. (5)Works for individual beneficiaries, including but not limited to housing-related works under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana—Gramin, sanitation-related works, and other beneficiary-oriented developmental works undertaken under various schemes of the Central Government from time to time and expressly notified for inclusion under the Scheme, may also be taken up. The eligibility of such beneficiaries shall be as notified by the Central Government, aligned with the eligibility criteria specified under the respective Central Government schemes, with all such works conforming to the norms, standards and guidelines issued by the Central Government.
5. (6)Without prejudice to the generality of the above, works creating individual assets as notified by the Central Government shall be prioritised on land or homestead owned by households belonging to—
   1. (a)the Scheduled Castes;
   2. (b)the Scheduled Tribes;
   3. (c)nomadic tribes;
   4. (d)denotified tribes;
   5. (e)economically weaker sections of the society as identified based on criteria notified by the Central Government;
   6. (f)women-headed households;
   7. (g)households headed by persons with disabilities;
   8. (h)beneficiaries of land reforms;
      1. (i)beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana—Gramin (PMAY-G); and
   9. (j)beneficiaries under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (2 of 2007), and after exhausting the eligible beneficiaries under the above categories, works may be taken up on the lands of small or marginal farmers as identified on the basis of criteria notified by the Central Government, subject to such conditions as may be notified by the Central Government, including the requirement that such households possess a valid job card and have at least one adult member willing to work on the project undertaken on their land or homestead. 5. Participatory Planning under the Scheme:—(1) All Central, State or local schemes, as may be notified by the Central Government for the purpose of convergence and saturation-based planning, shall be brought under a unified planning process anchored in the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans.
6. (2)There shall be a systematic and participatory planning exercise undertaken at each tier of the Panchayati Raj system in accordance with the specified methodology. The Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans shall be prepared by the Gram Panchayats using GIS-based tools, PM Gati Shakti layers and other digital public infrastructure, and placed before the Gram Sabha for approval. Works proposed to be undertaken by the Intermediate Panchayat, District Panchayat or other implementing agencies shall likewise be placed before the respective Panchayats along with the expected outputs and outcomes. The Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans shall be aggregated at the Block, District and State levels to ensure coherence with sectoral priorities, broader rural development strategies, and saturation-based planning for comprehensive coverage of eligible assets and outcomes across all Gram Panchayats. All works emerging from the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans shall be consolidated into the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack.
7. (3)Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan—Every Gram Panchayat shall prepare saturation-mode plans based on its classification into Category A, B, C, etc., determined based on development parameters, including proximity to urban areas, to address the varying needs of the Panchayats. All such works shall be drawn exclusively from the approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan, prepared using PM Gati Shakti, GIS-based tools and other digital public infrastructure.
8. (4)The works identified in the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans shall be executed through various Central, State and local schemes in convergence. The schemes to be taken up for such convergence shall be notified by the Central Government. 6. Framework for Convergence and Integrated Planning—A Unified Convergence Framework shall be established for coherent planning, execution and monitoring of all works undertaken in rural areas, and for this purpose—
9. (1)All Central, State or local schemes, as may be notified by the Central Government for the purpose of convergence and saturation-based planning, shall be brought under a unified planning process anchored in the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans.
10. (2)All existing assets and proposed works, whether funded under this Act or through any other Central, State or local scheme, shall be mandatorily registered and tracked through the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack using the designated digital portal, which shall maintain a comprehensive register of rural public works, prevent duplication, integrate departmental investments, and align all works with saturation outcomes.
11. (3)The Ministry of Rural Development shall prepare and periodically update the management information system, a nationally harmonised, single digital backbone for rural public works covering water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure, and special works to mitigate extreme weather events; and all planning shall follow a strict bottom-up process beginning with the preparation of the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan, which shall be successively aggregated at the Block, District and State levels, and the aggregated State Plan shall be placed before the State Level Steering Committee for approval.
12. (4)Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack shall guide States, Districts and Panchayati Raj Institutions in identifying priority infrastructure gaps, standardising work designs, and ensuring that public investments contribute measurably to saturation outcomes at the Gram Panchayat, Block and District levels.
13. (5)This institutional architecture shall ensure a single-plan, multi-funding approach, promote convergence across departments and schemes, and align all rural development efforts with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision of creating productive, resilient and transformative rural assets. 7. Intra-State distribution of normative Allocation—The State Government shall, upon receipt of the approved normative allocation from the Central Government, ensure equitable, need-based and transparent intra-State distribution of the allocation across districts and Gram Panchayats, taking into consideration the categorisation of Gram Panchayats and the assessed local needs for determining Gram Panchayat-wise allocations and corresponding district allocations; and the detailed methodology, parameters and procedural requirements for such distribution shall be notified by the Central Government. 8. Completion of Ongoing Works—At the time of opening new works, it shall be ensured that ongoing or incomplete works are prioritised for completion, subject to planning norms and the approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans. 9. Technical Estimates and Standards for Works—Every work under this Act shall have a technical estimate and design sanctioned by an authority authorised by the State Government, based on the framework aligned with the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack. 10. For works involving construction, appropriate labour-intensive technologies, depending upon the availability of labour and the use of local materials, shall be employed to the extent feasible. 11. Bills of quantities shall use clear and commonly understood terminology to ensure transparency for all stakeholders. 12. Each work shall have a summary of the estimate, design and a technical note indicating the expected outputs and outcomes. 13. All technical estimates, designs and outcome notes shall be generated or uploaded through digital systems integrated with the designated management information system. 14. Administrative and Financial Sanctions—(1) Works finalised at the Gram Panchayat level through the approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan and aggregated at the Block and District levels shall be accorded administrative or financial sanction by the competent authority as per the requirements and within thirty days.
14. (2)The sanctioning authorities shall ensure that-
    1. (a)the proposed works are drawn exclusively from the approved Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan;
    2. (b)the works are consistent with thematic domains, and the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack;
    3. (c)all sanctioned works are taken up through the designated digital portal under the Act. 15. Muster Rolls and Attendance Systems—The muster rolls for works undertaken under this Act shall be maintained through digital systems and shall comply with the following requirements—
    4. (a)Each muster roll shall be in English and the local language and have a unique electronically generated identity number (e-muster) issued through the management information system. The muster roll shall include the names of all workers who have demanded or been allocated work and shall be authenticated by the authorised functionary of the Gram Panchayat or the Programme Officer.
    5. (b)Attendance at the worksite shall be recorded daily by an authorised person using biometric attendance systems, and all attendance details shall be made available for public viewing on a daily basis through the designated management information system.
    6. (c)e-Muster rolls shall be processed by officials in the manner stipulated under the relevant guidelines. 16. Measurement and Basis for Payment—(1) Payment of wages shall only be made based on measurements taken at the worksite by authorised technical personnel within three days of the closure of the muster roll, and recorded digitally through systems integrated with the designated management information system.
15. (2)The State Government shall ensure the deployment of adequate technical personnel to enable timely measurement. Suitable persons may be trained and deployed, with delegated technical responsibilities, and shall be paid wages at skilled rates. 17. Wage Linkage to Output and Schedule of Rates—The State Government shall ensure that wages without any gender bias are linked to the quantum of work completed, in accordance with the Rural Schedule of Rates notified on the basis of time-and-motion studies for different types of work and different seasons, and revised periodically. 18. Special Schedule of Rates for Vulnerable Groups A separate Schedule of Rates shall be finalised for women, the elderly, persons with disabilities and persons with debilitating ailments to facilitate their productive participation in suitable categories of work. 19. Working Hours and Earning Norms—(a) The Schedule of Rates shall be framed so that an adult person working for eight hours, inclusive of one hour of rest, can earn an amount equivalent to the notified wage rate.
    1. (b)Working hours of an adult worker may be flexible but shall not extend beyond twelve hours in a day, including intervals for rest. 20. Material Component—For all works undertaken under this Act, the cost of the material component shall not exceed forty per cent. at the District level. 21. Execution Without Contractors-
16. (1)No contractor shall be engaged for the execution of any work or component financed through expenditure under this Act. All such works shall be executed directly by the implementing agencies in accordance with the processes laid down under the Act, including mandatory proactive disclosures and the social audit process.
17. (2)In cases of convergence where components of a work are financed under other schemes, the execution of those components may follow the norms of the converging scheme, including the use of contractors where permitted. 22. As far as practicable, works executed by the programme implementation agencies shall be performed by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines shall be used. 23. Transparent Procurement of Materials—All materials required for the execution of works shall be procured by the Gram Panchayat or the implementing agency through transparent procurement systems, including e-tendering processes, as specified by the State Government. 24. Out of the administrative costs allowed under the Scheme, at least one-third shall be utilised at the Gram Panchayat level to employ and pay the Gram Rozgar Sahayak, other technical personnel as per the work done and for other administrative expenses. 25. Transparency and Accountability—(1) Every Scheme prepared under this Act shall contain comprehensive provisions to ensure transparency and accountability at all levels of implementation, including Mandatory Public Disclosure and social audit.
18. (2)Mandatory Public Disclosure—(a) Mandatory Public disclosure shall be undertaken through digital systems integrated with the designated management information system and displayed at the village level for public scrutiny.
    1. (b)Display at every worksite a “Janata Board” indicating details of the work, estimated labour days, material quantities in local terminology, and item-wise costs.
    2. (c)Digital and physical display of number of days of employment provided, wage payments, material payments, guarantees under the Act, works approved under the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan, and year-wise works taken up or completed by the Gram Panchayat and other implementing agencies.
    3. (d)Public disclosure of all information relating to works, labour demand, employment provided, payments, material utilisation and physical progress under this Act shall be carried out through digital systems integrated with the designated portal. Weekly disclosures shall be automatically generated and displayed in a publicly accessible physical and digital formats. In addition, the Gram Panchayat shall convene weekly disclosure meetings in the Gram Panchayat Bhawan to present the status of works, payments, grievances and other relevant information before the community.
    4. (e)The Ministry of Rural Development and the State Departments shall ensure that their official websites are regularly updated in compliance with clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 4 of the Right to Information Act, 2005 (22 of 2005), with all information on the Act available in free, downloadable electronic form.
19. (3)Social audit—(a) all works, expenditures and guarantees under this Act shall be subject to social audit at least once every six months in the manner as may be prescribed by the Central Government;
    1. (b)the procedure, standards and modalities for conducting social audits shall be as prescribed in the rules made under this Act;
    2. (c)until such rules are notified, the provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Audit of Schemes Rules, 2011 shall, mutatis mutandis, apply to the conduct of social audits under this Act.
20. (4)Concurrent evaluation mechanism-For ensuring measurable outcomes and real-time accountability, technology-enabled monitoring shall be mandated for tracking work execution and postcompletion asset outcomes, supported by verified data systems and spatial technologies. Weekly public disclosures shall be reinforced through a comprehensive transparency framework. A Concurrent Evaluation Mechanism, as may be specified by the Central Government through guidelines, shall provide continuous vigilance and enable timely corrective action. 26. Recovery of misappropriated amounts—
21. (1)Any misappropriation of amounts spent under the Act shall be recoverable under the relevant revenue laws for recovery prevailing in the State.
22. (2)The portion of such recoveries pertaining to the Central share shall be remitted to the Consolidated Fund of India through the mechanism established by the Central Government. 27. Inspection and Quality Control—The State Government shall ensure regular inspection and supervision of works by designated quality-control teams to verify adherence to quality standards, accuracy of measurements and conformity of wage payments to the actual quantum of work executed. Inspection reports shall be uploaded to the management information system. 28. Grievance Redressal Mechanism—An effective grievance redressal mechanism shall be established under the Act, comprising the following components, namely:—
    1. (a)Institutional mechanisms for receiving grievances at the Ward, Gram Panchayat, Block and District levels, with at least one designated day each week when officials shall be mandatorily available to receive grievances;
    2. (b)Issuance of a dated acknowledgement for all grievances submitted in writing, telephonically, online, or orally to any authorised functionary;
    3. (c)Enquiry through spot verification or inspection and disposal shall be completed within seven working days of receipt of the grievance;
    4. (d)Upon completion of the enquiry, the concerned authority shall initiate immediate corrective action, and the grievance shall be resolved within fifteen days;
    5. (e)Failure to dispose of a grievance within seven working days at the level determined, shall be treated as a contravention of the provisions of this Act and shall attract action in accordance with section 27 or any corresponding provision of this Act;
    6. (f)Where prima facie evidence of financial irregularity is revealed during preliminary enquiry or through findings of the social audit report, the District Programme Coordinator shall, after obtaining legal advice, ensure that a First Information Report is lodged and necessary proceedings initiated;
    7. (g)The concerned authority shall inform the complainant in writing, physically or digitally, of the conclusions of the enquiry and the steps taken for redressal;
    8. (h)Action taken on grievances received by all implementing agencies shall be placed before the meetings of the Intermediate Panchayat and the District Panchayat for review and monitoring;
       1. (i)Appeals against the orders of the Gram Panchayat shall lie before the Programme Officer; appeals against the orders of the Programme Officer shall lie before the District Programme Coordinator; appeals against the orders of the District Programme Coordinator shall lie before the State Grievance Redressal Authority or any officer designated by the State Government;
    9. (j)All appeals shall be filed within forty-five days from the date of the order;
    10. (k)All appeals shall be disposed of within thirty days from the date of receipt;
    11. (l)Any grievance not resolved within fifteen days at the Ward, Gram Panchayat, Block or District level shall be automatically escalated to the next higher level through digital systems integrated with the designated management information system, and such escalations shall be continuously monitored electronically. 29. Ombudsperson—The State Government shall appoint an Ombudsperson for each District to receive grievances, conduct enquiries and issue awards in accordance with the guidelines notified by the Central and the State Governments. The Ombudsperson shall operate through digital platforms integrated with the designated digital portal under this Act. 30. Action for Contravention—Wherever contravention of any provision of this Act is established after due enquiry by the State Government, the District Programme Coordinator, the Programme Officer, the Ombudsperson or any other authority authorised by the State Government, action shall be taken in accordance with section 27 of this Act or any corresponding provision. 31. Annual Reporting—The District Programme Coordinator, the Programme Officer and each Gram Panchayat shall prepare an annual report detailing facts, figures and achievements relating to the implementation of the Scheme within their jurisdiction. A copy of such report shall be made available to the public in physical or electronic form, on payment of such fee as may be specified in the Scheme. 32. All accounts and records including muster rolls relating to the scheme shall be made available for public scrutiny free of cost. Any person desirous of obtaining a copy or relevant extracts therefrom may be provided such copies or extracts on demand not later than three working days from the date of receipt of application. 33. Capacity Building and Strengthening Panchayats—There shall be a dedicated plan for training, Information Education Communication, digital literacy and strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions.