Patna: Bihar government on Thursday formally launched the Viksit Bharat–Gramin Rozgar evam Aajivika Guarantee scheme, describing it as a major shift in rural employment policy that will place greater emphasis on building durable public assets while increasing the state’s financial responsibility.
The scheme was inaugurated by Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar at the Adhiveshan Bhawan in Patna during a state-level launch programme. Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan joined the event virtually from Tirupati.
Speaking at the ceremony, Kumar said Bihar would now be required to contribute around ₹4,500 crore towards workers’ wages under the new programme, a financial obligation that did not exist under the previous arrangement.
Centre allocates interim funding
The minister said the state government had already made substantial budgetary provisions to meet expenditure on unskilled wages and announced that the Centre had allocated an interim budget of ₹6,715 crore to support the implementation of the scheme in Bihar.
Before the formal launch, Kumar also released a compendium outlining the objectives and operational framework of the new programme.
Focus on durable rural infrastructure
According to the state government, the new scheme seeks to shift attention towards the creation of permanent infrastructure in Gram Panchayats alongside the generation of rural employment.
Officials said Panchayats would also be encouraged to take up innovative disaster management projects aimed at improving resilience and public safety in rural areas.
Transition from MGNREGA
Principal Secretary Pankaj Kumar described the launch as the beginning of a new chapter in rural employment, saying the 20-year journey of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) had come to an end with the introduction of the new programme.
He said he had the opportunity to sign the documents marking the launch and implementation of the scheme and thanked Chief Minister Samrat Chaudhary and Rural Development Minister Shravan Kumar for their support.
The Bihar government said the new employment guarantee programme is intended to strengthen rural livelihoods while creating long-term public assets, with implementation beginning across the state from Thursday.
