Even as Keralam faces a significant additional financial burden with the new Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025 (VB-G RAM G) officially replacing MGNREGA from July 1, 2026, it is the only State that has ensured work to all families that sought it under the new scheme, Minister for Local Self-Government K.M. Shaji said in the Assembly on Monday. Keralam has also made sure that the new scheme is implemented in all grama panchayats in the State, Mr. Shaji added.
The Minister was replying to a calling attention motion moved by Xavier Chittilappilly, MLA, expressing concern about the severe loss of rural workdays (person-days) under the new scheme and the wage payments that have been facing delays due to stricter digital tracking, 60:40 Centre-State cost sharing, and strict disbursement rules.
Allocations
Mr. Shaji said that work had been provided to 9.32 lakh families that sought it under the scheme. The Centre has allocated ₹540.07 crore, against which the State’s proportional allocation is ₹342.72 crore. For material costs, the Centre has granted ₹342.75 crore, against which the State’s proportional allocation is ₹228.48 crore.
Though there is a mandatory 60-day no-work period a year during peak farming, sowing, and harvesting seasons under the new Act, grama panchayats had been asked to decide these days on their own, depending on the local circumstances, the Minister said. Maximum families would be provided work on available work days, he added.
The State’s Budget allocation for the scheme was ₹2,544.42 crore.
Attendance tracking
Under the VB-G RAM G scheme, attendance is tracked through a digital and biometric monitoring framework designed to prevent fraud and ghost beneficiaries. Workers’ attendance is captured twice a day (or in real-time) using the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app at the worksite.
Keralam has sought relaxation in this provision, at least in areas where Internet connectivity is low, but the Centre did not relent, Mr. Shaji said.
The Minister said the government is also looking into how the State-level Employment Guarantee Workers’ Welfare Fund Board enrolment and payouts will have to be changed, as the new scheme substantially alters the underlying operational and financial framework for rural workers.
Though the Centre has listed 75 works under the new scheme, it does not include a lot of the work usually undertaken in the State, such as canal cleaning. The State has already written twice to the Centre pointing this out.
Published - October 12, 2026 06:40 pm IST