Department officials say infrastructure has been damaged in several locations across the 22 flood-affected districts. The restoration and repair of infrastructure are urgently required. File picture | Photo Credit: The Hindu
Workers in 22 flood-affected districts and 16 drought-hit districts of the Bihar will now be able to get work on a regular basis.
The Bihar Rural Development Department on Wednesday (October 21, 2026) has initiated efforts to employ unskilled workers under the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) VB-G RAM G scheme. The initiative aims to employ the government workers in areas affected by floods and drought, thereby offering financial support to poor households.
According to the order, the following 22 districts were severely affected by floods this year: Arwal, Begusarai, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur, Buxar, Darbhanga, Gopalganj, Katihar, Khagaria, Lakhisarai, Madhepura, Munger, Muzaffarpur, West Champaran, Patna, East Champaran, Purnia, Saharsa, Samastipur, Saran, Supaul and Vaishali. Flooding has caused extensive road damage in these districts.
Meanwhile, districts such as Araria, Aurangabad, Banka, Gaya Ji, Jamui, Jehanabad, Kaimur, Kishanganj, Madhubani, Nalanda, Nawada, Rohtas, Sheikhpura, Sheohar, Sitamarhi and Siwan experienced drought conditions this year due to rainfall significantly below normal levels.
The drought conditions in these areas have damaged the Rabi crop, resulting in a substantial decline in demand for agricultural labourers.
Department officials say infrastructure has been damaged in several locations across the 22 flood-affected districts. The restoration and repair of infrastructure are urgently required.
In view of the upcoming festivals, employment opportunities must also be ensured for returning workers. This will facilitate infrastructure reconstruction while accelerating development activities.
Employing workers in disaster-affected areas has become an urgent necessity. Earlier, considering the agricultural season and to ensure that agricultural activities were not disrupted, construction work had been suspended during the designated work-break period from October 22 to December 10, 2026.
However, restrictions have now been lifted to ensure employment for people and facilitate the restoration of damaged infrastructure, given the recent disaster situation in the state.
Under VB–G RAM G scheme, launched across the country on July 1, 2026, infrastructure development, asset creation and other development works are to be undertaken with funding shared by the central and state governments in a 60:40 ratio.
Departmental officials stated that, in view of the prevailing disaster conditions, the work-break period for agricultural activities has been relaxed to ensure that workers can receive up to 125 days of wages under the employment guarantee programme.
“Bihar has been affected by flood disasters. Roads, bridges, culverts, pathways, embankments and other infrastructure have suffered extensive damage. It is essential to repair and restore the damaged infrastructure so that development activities can be accelerated,” Rural Development Department and Information & Public Relations Department (IPRD) Minister Shravan Kumar told the media.
Published - October 22, 2026 10:08 am IST