New Delhi: The Union Minister for Rural Development, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, reviewed the nationwide rollout of the new Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G-RAM-G, which officially replaced MGNREGA on July 1, 2026.
While the transition has been smoothly executed across most of the country, the Union Minister specifically turned his attention to Odisha during the review, urging the state to accelerate its implementation and start works in its remaining Gram Panchayats at the earliest.
The review did not explicitly cite a singular, official reason for the slower start in parts of Odisha. However, the minister’s broader address highlighted standard administrative bottlenecks that several states are currently navigating during this major transition.
These include pending formalities with Reserve Bank of India accounts, administrative processing delays, and the time required for state governments to release their mandatory matching budgetary shares to activate the central funds.
To help Odisha and other states execute the program without disruption, the central government released a massive initial installment of ₹25,863 crore.
This funding is designed to give states enough financial runway to ensure rural workers are paid within 15 days. For workers in Odisha, the stakes for a quick rollout are high, as the new scheme boosts average wage rates by roughly 10 percent, establishing a strict nationwide floor ensuring no worker earns less than ₹300 per day.
The Union Ministry is now waiting on Odisha’s state authorities to clear any remaining local administrative hurdles and activate employment generation across all of its local councils.