The BJP Manipur Pradesh on Wednesday accused the Congress of misleading the public over the Centre’s revamped rural employment programme, asserting that the scheme enhances employment opportunities and strengthens panchayat-led development.
Speaking to reporters at the BJP office in Thambal Shanglen, state BJP president A. Sharda Devi said the newly introduced Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar–Ajeevika Mission Grameen (VBGRAMG) is designed to support farmers and rural communities while advancing the goal of a Viksit Bharat by 2047.
She clarified that the guaranteed number of workdays under the scheme has been increased from 100 to 125 per year, contrary to opposition claims. The provision of 60 days at the state level, she said, is intended to ensure that farmers are not compelled to balance agricultural activities with wage employment during sowing and harvesting seasons, without reducing total employment days.
Sharda Devi further stated that the scheme gives greater authority to panchayats, allowing village-level planning and implementation of development projects through an approval-based system, ensuring decentralised and need-driven growth.
Highlighting transparency measures, she said the NDA government is using technology to prevent corruption, ensure accurate wage payments and eliminate false reporting. Genuine workers, she added, will receive their rightful wages.
Responding to criticism over the scheme’s renaming, the BJP leader said changes in nomenclature have occurred earlier as well and clarified that “RAM” reflects the programme’s rural employment focus. She also compared expenditure figures, noting that the NDA government has spent around ₹8.5 lakh crore over the last decade, compared to about ₹2.5 lakh crore during the previous Congress-led government’s tenure.
Accusing Congress of consistently spreading misinformation, Sharda Devi maintained that the scheme would deliver tangible benefits to rural communities and further strengthen public support for the BJP.
