Viksit Bharat GRAM G Bill to end irregularities, strengthen rural economy, benefit the poor: Sat Sharma

• BJP holds state-level workshop on VB-GRAM G at Jammu

JAMMU: J&K BJP President and MP (Rajya Sabha), Sat Sharma CA, said that the Viksit Bharat GRAM G (VB-GRAM G) Bill is a decisive reform aimed at ending long-standing irregularities in rural employment schemes and ensuring transparent, need-based benefits for the poor. He was addressing a workshop organized under the VB-GRAM G Janajagaran Abhiyan at the BJP headquarters, Jammu.

The workshop was attended by J&K BJP General Secretary and Convenor VB-GRAM G Janajagaran Abhiyan Baldev Singh Billawaria, General Secretaries Sanjita Dogra and Gopal Mahajan, DDC Chairpersons Bharat Bhushan, Col Maan Singh, and Keshav Dutt Sharma, and MLA RS Pathania, besides party office bearers, district presidents, and senior leaders.

Om Prakash Dhankar, National Secretary, BJP, former BJP President and Ex-Minister, Government of Haryana, and National Co-Convenor & Incharge Jammu & Kashmir for VB-GRAM G Janajagaran Abhiyan, addressed the workshop through virtual mode.

Addressing the workshop, Sat Sharma provided a comprehensive overview of the VB-GRAM G framework, stating that the workshop aims to equip party teams who will visit districts and villages to create awareness among the masses. He said that while MGNREGA was launched with good intentions, it suffered from serious shortcomings such as weak social audits, lack of proper verification, and scope for misuse, which diluted its impact on the poorest sections.

“To overcome these flaws and ensure that benefits genuinely reach the needy, the Modi Government has introduced the Viksit Bharat GRAM G Bill. The new framework emphasizes transparency, accountability, and productivity, while providing 100 to 125 days of assured employment, strengthening rural infrastructure and contributing directly to the vision of a Viksit Bharat,” Sat Sharma said.

Sat Sharma also criticized the Congress for indulging in mere politics over the change in nomenclature, instead of engaging in a constructive debate on how VB-GRAM G addresses the inherent weaknesses of MGNREGA and empowers rural India.

Om Prakash Dhankar highlighted the national significance of VB-GRAM G, calling it one of the dream projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to strengthen rural infrastructure, support farmers, and create sustainable livelihood opportunities. He urged BJP activists to actively organize programmes under the Abhiyan, ensuring the involvement of elected representatives and respected local figures at the grassroots level.

Baldev Singh Billawaria outlined a clear roadmap for Jammu & Kashmir, stating that awareness will be taken to the ground through coordinated activities such as press conferences, workshops, rural choupal meetings, and sammelans at district and mandal levels, ensuring widespread public outreach.

RS Pathania said that VB-GRAM G represents a paradigm shift from wage-centric employment to outcome-oriented rural development, where employment generation is directly linked with asset creation, productivity, and accountability. He elaborated that the new framework strengthens digital monitoring, social audits, verification mechanisms, and community participation, ensuring that benefits reach genuine beneficiaries. He said that VB-GRAM G aligns rural employment with national priorities such as water conservation, rural connectivity, agricultural infrastructure, and sustainable development. He said that the central idea of VB-GRAM G is not merely to provide temporary work, but to create permanent assets, empower villages, and make rural India a growth engine of the nation.

During the workshop, it was informed that VB-GRAM G Janajagaran Abhiyan programmes will be coordinated in the Kashmir region by General Secretary Anwar Khan, Udhampur–Doda Parliamentary Constituency by Kisan Morcha President Rakesh Pant, Jammu Parliamentary Constituency by former MLA Ashwani Sharma, assisted by Panchayati Raj Cell Convenor Jitender Sharma, and Anantnag Parliamentary Constituency by Secretary Pawan Sharma. A detailed PPT presentation was also showcased, drawing a sharp comparison between VB-GRAM G and MGNREGA, underlining the necessity, reforms, and improvements introduced in the new framework.