RANCHI: The Jharkhand Cabinet on Thursday approved the implementation of the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G).
The state government will bear the entire 40 per cent state share of workers' wages to ensure rural households are not burdened financially.
The decision was taken during a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister Hemant Soren. A total of 27 proposals were approved during the meeting.
Talking to the media persons, Additional Chief Secretary (Cabinet Secretariat) Vandana Dadel informed that the Rural Development Department has been directed to make provisions for generating additional employment opportunities for members of Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTGs) under the new programme.
The decision assumes political significance as the ruling alliance, JMM and Congress, had earlier opposed the Centre's VB-G RAM G scheme, which has replaced the two-decade-old Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
The state government's approval coincided with the nationwide rollout of the new programme.
Under this scheme, the Centre has fixed daily wages for unskilled workers between Rs 300 and Rs 409, with Jharkhand among the states receiving a wage hike of over 15 per cent compared to the previous rates.
In another key decision, the Cabinet accorded administrative approval of Rs 4,189.41 crore for the construction of RIMS-2, a major expansion project of the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) in Ranchi.