Manipur Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Thursday said that the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) would play a significant role in realising Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of Viksit Bharat @2047 by strengthening rural livelihoods and employment opportunities.
The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) Act, 2025 came into force across the country on Wednesday (July 1). Addressing the state-level Jan Sammelan-cum-Launching Programme of VB-G RAM G, the Chief Minister said that under the newly launched rural employment scheme, job card holders would now be entitled to 125 days of guaranteed employment instead of the earlier 100 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
He said that under the VB-G RAM G scheme, the daily wage has also been enhanced from Rs 283 to Rs 300. The programme was organised by the state government's Department of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj at Salam Tharojam Eco Tourism Park in Imphal West district on Thursday.
Deputy Chief Minister Nemcha Kipgen, who attended the programme through video conferencing, said that real development begins in villages. Kipgen, who also holds the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj portfolio, said that VB-G RAM G should emerge as a platform for convergence by integrating agriculture, horticulture, watershed development, soil conservation, the Jal Jeevan Mission, rural water conservation and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) initiatives.
She said that such convergence would help create durable, productive and climate-resilient assets for rural communities while strengthening sustainable livelihoods. Addressing the gathering, MLA Sorokhaibam Rajen Singh lauded the Chief Minister's peace initiatives, particularly his visits to areas that had remained inaccessible due to the law-and-order situation.
Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Commissioner Sumant Singh said that the VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 was passed by Parliament on December 19, 2025. He said that under the new scheme, every Gram Panchayat would prepare its own development plan and would be graded under four categories -- A, B, C and D.
The Commissioner further informed that the grading would be carried out by the state government and that the entire programme would be implemented through the PM Gati Shakti geospatial portal. The nationwide launch of the VB-G RAM G scheme was led by Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan from Tirupati in Andhra Pradesh.
As part of the programme, Chief Minister Singh, along with other dignitaries, planted saplings to promote environmental conservation. State Arts and Culture and Tourism Minister Khuraijam Loken Singh, MLAs Karam Shyam Singh, Sapam Ranjan Singh and Sapam Kunjakeswor (Keba) Singh, besides senior government officials, attended the programme.