The Centre has released an interim allocation of ₹95,692.31 crore to states and Union Territories ahead of the 1 July transition to Viksit Bharat GRAMG, a new rural development framework linked to employment generation, wage payments and village-level works.
The allocation comes in addition to ₹30,000 crore already provided under MGNREGA, taking the overall funding support to more than ₹1.25 lakh crore.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan reviewed the preparedness of states and Union Territories for the transition during a video conference with State Rural Development Ministers on Tuesday, 9 June.
Chouhan told states that the transition should not disrupt employment generation, wage payments or workers’ statutory rights.
He said “not a single worker should remain without work even for a day” and asked states to give advance approvals for enough works so that implementation can begin from 1 July.
According to the minister, the funds will reach nearly 2.80 lakh Gram Panchayats across the country, with works to be selected through Gram Panchayats and Gram Sabhas.
Chouhan directed states to issue state-level notifications, notify agricultural peak seasons, ensure 100% e-KYC and organise capacity-building and awareness programmes at district and block levels.
The minister said Mizoram, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh have already issued notifications, while 26 states have made budgetary provisions.
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Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana and Mizoram have been asked to complete the process at the earliest.
As part of the interim allocation, ₹92,550.17 crore has been allocated to states and ₹1,291.32 crore to Union Territories.
Another ₹1,850.62 crore has been earmarked for central administration and social audit.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh has received the highest allocation at ₹9,721.48 crore, followed by West Bengal at ₹8,508 crore, Andhra Pradesh at ₹7,707.21 crore, Tamil Nadu at ₹7,585.49 crore and Rajasthan at ₹7,581.87 crore.
Other allocations include ₹626.43 crore for Uttarakhand, ₹1,151.2 crore for Jammu & Kashmir, ₹85.98 crore for Ladakh and ₹40.56 crore for Puducherry.
The minister also invited states to the National Rural Development Conference at the PUSA Institute in New Delhi on 28 and 29 June, where the implementation of the new framework will be discussed.
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