Union Minister for Rural Development and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday engaged with rural residents, workers and labourers during a special Gram Sabha at Loni Budruk village in Maharashtra’s Ahmednagar district, outlining the key features of the Viksit Bharat: G Ram G Act, 2025 and its implications for rural employment and village development.
The event was streamed live across the country, drawing participation from more than six million viewers at over one lakh locations, including farmers, self-help group members and citizens from rural areas.
Addressing sarpanchs and Gram Panchayat representatives, Chouhan said the new legislation strengthens the employment guarantee framework by providing a legal assurance of 125 days of work, going beyond the earlier provision of 100 days under MGNREGA. He said the Act introduces stronger monitoring and accountability mechanisms to make the programme more robust, effective and transparent.
Emphasising timely wage payments, the Union Minister said wages must now be paid within one week. If payments are delayed beyond 15 days, workers will be entitled to an additional 0.05 per cent of their wages as interest. “Earlier, delays often went unpunished. Now, responsibility has been fixed, and lapses will have consequences,” he said.
Chouhan also underlined the enhanced role of Gram Sabhas under the new framework, stating that decisions on village-specific works will rest with the Gram Sabha, which will take the final call. He said this would ensure that development works reflect the actual needs of villages, including water conservation, infrastructure development, livelihood generation and disaster mitigation.
Stressing the importance of women’s participation, the Union Minister said that at least one-third, or 33 per cent, of the work under the scheme has been reserved for women, ensuring their economic empowerment and participation across various activities.
To address labour requirements during peak agricultural seasons, Chouhan said state governments have been empowered to issue notifications allowing workers to be deployed for agricultural activities for up to 60 days during sowing and harvesting periods, helping farmers avoid labour shortages.
He also announced that administrative expenditure under the scheme has been increased from 6 per cent to 9 per cent. This, he said, would prevent delays in salary payments and ensure uninterrupted functioning of employment assistants, with necessary instructions to be issued in coordination with state governments.
Reiterating the government’s focus on rural development, Chouhan said India’s progress is inseparable from the progress of its villages. Quoting Mahatma Gandhi, he said villages form the soul of the nation and are central to India’s journey towards prosperity.
The Union Minister assured villagers and workers that the government remains committed to strengthening rural livelihoods through sustained reforms, decentralised decision-making and timely delivery of benefits.
