Agartala

Union Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Wednesday said the VB–G RAM G scheme has been designed to generate employment and strengthen rural infrastructure, while alleging that the Congress and CPI(M) are attempting to discredit it through a “negative campaign”.

Speaking at a programme here, Chouhan said the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) is a key component of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision to transform India into a developed nation.

“The objective of G-RAM-G is employment generation and infrastructure development in rural areas. However, the Congress and communist parties are spreading misinformation to confuse people in villages,” the minister said.

He pointed out that the Centre has allocated an unprecedented budgetary outlay for the scheme in the Union Budget presented in the Lok Sabha earlier this month.

According to Chouhan, the finance minister has proposed ₹95,600 crore for the implementation of the G-RAM-G scheme. When state contributions are added, the total allocation rises to ₹1,51,282 crore. In addition, the Finance Commission will directly transfer ₹55,000 crore to gram panchayats.

“Overall, more than ₹2 lakh crore will be spent on rural development in the coming financial year. This translates into an annual allocation of around ₹1.5 crore to ₹1.75 crore for each gram panchayat for development works,” he said.

The minister further stated that rural development spending would touch ₹10 lakh crore over the next five years. If utilised effectively, he said, villages would witness a “developmental transformation”.

Targeting the previous Left Front government in Tripura, Chouhan alleged that it had neglected and weakened rural areas. He said the Modi government places strong emphasis on village development, guided by the belief that the country’s true strength lies in its villages.

“The G-RAM-G scheme will reshape rural India by creating employment for the poor and building long-lasting assets that benefit villages for years,” he added.

Chouhan also lauded Tripura’s efforts in empowering women through self-help groups, noting that the state has already produced 1.08 lakh ‘Lakhpati Didis’.