Shimla, July 9 -- Cash-strapped Himachal Pradesh will approach the Centre, saying implementation of Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) is not in the state's interest and would impose an additional fiscal burden, chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu said on Wednesday. Chairing a review meeting of the rural development and panchayati raj department in Shimla, Sukhu said that the state government would formally raise its concerns with the Centre over the implementation of the new scheme. "Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), the Centre provided 100% funding. Under the new scheme, however, the state will bear 10% of the expenditure. This will place an additional burden on the state's limited resources," he said. The state government, whose debt has already crossed over Rs.1 lakh crore, has maintained that replacing MNREGA would adversely affect nearly 12 lakh workers in the state. The Centre has directed all states to notify the new scheme by June 30, stating that only those adopting it will be eligible for budget allocations. Under the proposed provisions, the wage rate has been currently fixed at Rs.247 per day in non-tribal areas and Rs.309 per day in tribal areas of Himachal . The government contends that these rates are inadequate given the geographical conditions, inflation and cost of living, and the state plans to seek a revision in wages from Centre, he said. Suku said employment guarantee scheme should continue to remain demand-driven, as it was under MGNREGA, instead of being restricted by predetermined limits. During 2024-25, about 395 lakh man-days were generated under MGNREGA in Himachal. For 2025-26, however, the Centre has allocated a target of only 250 lakh man-days for the state. The state has also constituted a high-level committee chaired by rural development and panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh to conduct a detailed study of all aspects of the new scheme and prepare recommendations in the interest of Himachal....