Shivraj Singh Chouhan claimed Viksit Bharat—G Ram G’ law is s major step towards self-reliant villages.

New Delhi, January 5, 2026: Union Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Monday said that the ‘Viksit Bharat—G Ram G’ law is a landmark initiative aimed at building self-reliant (Atmanirbhar) villages across the country.

Addressing workers and labourers in Erode, Tamil Nadu, the Union Minister said that the law is a concrete step towards strengthening employment generation, expanding basic facilities, and promoting self-sufficiency at the grassroots level.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan emphasized that the vision of developed and prosperous villages can only be realized through active public participation. He said the new law reflects the government’s commitment to decentralized development, where villages become the driving force of progress.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan highlighted the deficiencies in MGNREGA:

Referring to the earlier system under MGNREGA, the Union Minister said that although 100 days of employment were guaranteed, in many areas work was not provided on time and wage payments were often delayed.

Calling this a serious concern, he said the government introduced reforms through the ‘ Viksit Bharat—G Ram G’ law to remove deficiencies and eliminate corruption.

Under the new law, the employment guarantee has been increased from 100 days to 125 days.

If work is not provided within the stipulated period, workers will now be entitled to unemployment allowance.

In case of delays beyond 15 days in wage payments, interest will be paid to workers.

Shri Chouhan further informed that administrative expenditure has been enhanced from 6 percent to 9 percent to ensure the timely payment of salaries to field-level staff and to improve overall efficiency.

The Union Minister said that Gram Sabhas have been significantly empowered under the new framework, allowing village assemblies to decide which development works should be undertaken locally.

He asserted that decisions regarding village development will no longer be taken in Chennai or Delhi, but within the villages themselves.

Shivraj Singh Chouhan also cautioned against misinformation being deliberately spread about the scheme.

He said that under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the system has been strengthened to ensure that funds meant for workers are directly transferred into their bank accounts, leaving no scope for corruption.

Support for turmeric farmers in Erode:

During his visit, Shivraj Singh Chouhan toured the renowned turmeric market in Erode and interacted with turmeric-producing farmers and traders.

He announced the establishment of a testing laboratory in ‘Turmeric City,’ Erode, and issued necessary directions to the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR).

The facility will help farmers through quality testing certification and improved marketing of turmeric.

Also Read: Shivraj Singh Chouhan promised action on fertilizer issues during the farmers’ meet in Patna.

EOM.