Kolkata, July 5 -- The Centre has released the first instalment of funds under the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G), with Union Minister for Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan announcing an allocation of Rs 1,264.49 crore for West Bengal.
The scheme came into force in the state on July 1, with the Panchayats and Rural Development (P&RD) department introducing AI-powered face authentication through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app to prevent proxy attendance and ensure only registered workers are marked present.
Workers must upload geo-tagged, time-stamped photographs twice daily - on arrival and departure - to eliminate ghost workers and improve transparency in wage employment.
Aligned with the Viksit Bharat @2047 vision, the scheme is expected to benefit around 2.56 crore job card holders by guaranteeing 125 days of wage employment to every eligible rural household annually.
The scheme covers 318 permissible works across four sectors - 221 new construction and 97 repair and maintenance projects - focusing on water security, rural livelihoods, core rural infrastructure and disaster mitigation.
To ensure works are completed on the ground, the department has made 100 per cent inspection of all projects at the Gram Panchayat level mandatory. Inspection targets have also been fixed at 60 per cent at the block level, 10 per cent at the district level and 2 per cent at the state level.
A senior department official said transparency has been built into the scheme through mandatory public disclosure of sanctioned works, budgets, expenditure, beneficiaries, muster rolls and wage payments.
"There will be a Janata Board at every worksite displaying, both digitally and physically, employment generated, wage and material payments, and the status of approved, ongoing and completed works," the official said.
The framework also mandates social audits twice a year, along with periodic physical audits, to strengthen transparency and accountability.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.