Staff strike slows rollout of VB-G RAM G in Punjab as transition enters crucial phase

The Viksit Bharat-Guarantee Rozgar Aajeevika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAM G), which came into effect on July 1 and replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), has yet to gain momentum in Punjab with around 2,100 implementation staff on strike.

Nearly a fortnight after the new rural employment scheme was introduced, officials admitted the very workforce responsible for its execution has been on strike since June 1.

The Punjab government had formally notified the transition on June 26. The move marked a complete reversal from the state’s earlier stand. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had convened a special Vidhan Sabha session on December 30, 2025, to pass a resolution opposing the Centre’s decision to replace MGNREGA with VB-G RAM G.

However, despite political opposition, the administrative transition had quietly begun in January, days after the Assembly resolution.

The staff protesting include Technical Assistants (TAs), Computer Assistants (CAs), Gramin Rozgar Sewaks (GRSs), Additional Programme Officers (APOs) and District Coordinators, who handle the logistical and technical operations of the employment programme across Punjab.

These Rural Development and Panchayats Department employees are seeking regularisation of their services and demanding release of their pending salaries.

The agitation had intensified on Wednesday when the employees attempted to march towards the Khanna residence of Rural Development and Panchayats (RDP) Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond.

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Police had cane-charged, used water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters. One of the protesters reportedly suffered a leg fracture during the action and underwent surgery on Thursday. Later, MGNREGA daily-wage workers also joined the protest, alleging they have not been receiving work following the transition to the new scheme.

The president of the MGNREGA employees’ union, Gursewak Singh, said, “We are the technical staff… If we are on strike, how can the scheme take off? We had four meetings with the government this month, but all remained inconclusive.”

The union has been claiming unpaid salaries of eight months.

However, officials from the rural development department said only five months’ wages are pending.

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A senior source said, “The delay is on the part of the Government of India. Earlier, eight months’ salaries were pending. After utilisation certificates were submitted, funds were released in January, clearing the salaries up to November. Another instalment came at the end of May, enabling payment up to January. At present, five months’ salaries are pending.”

Claiming that the matter is being pursued with the Centre for the funds, the source said, “From July onwards, salaries will be paid under VB-G-RAM-G through a different mechanism and will remain up to date.”

The officials have also acknowledged that the strike has significantly affected the launch of the new scheme.

“We could not start the scheme at the scale we had planned because the implementation staff has been on strike since June 1… Around 150 works under VB-G RAM G have been started in districts including Muktsar, Jalandhar and Rupnagar,” an official said.

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Officials have also admitted that practical difficulties persist as GRSs and APOs, responsible for the field-level projects, continue to stay away from work.

On employees’ demand for regularisation, another official said the process involves approvals from multiple departments and cannot be completed immediately. “Employees have been informed about the procedural requirements and have been urged to resume duties at the earliest.”

Despite the strike, sources said Punjab is yet to invoke the “no work, no pay” principle. Salary bills for June have reportedly been generated for all striking employees after officials from other departments were assigned the task, and the state has sought corresponding funds from the Centre.

According to the union, GRSs and CAs receive salaries ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 25,000 per month; TAs earn between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000; APOs receive Rs 45,000 to Rs 50,000, while District Coordinators draw salaries exceeding Rs 50,000.

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Gursewak said, “These are not even very high salaries, yet they have remained pending for months.”

The transition has also brought certain financial changes. Under the new employment scheme, the contingency fund has been increased from six per cent to nine per cent. It will be shared between the Centre and the state in a 60:40 ratio, increasing Punjab’s financial burden. The revised cost-sharing formula also applies to several other components, including material costs.

“Contingency funds were released only after utilisation certificates for 75 per cent of previously released funds were submitted. If salaries remain unpaid, it indicates delays in submission of utilisation certificates. These are the same employees who are expected to manage the logistics of VB-G RAM G,” Gursewak said.

Officials said Punjab had little choice but to notify VB-G-RAM-G after MGNREGA ceased to operate under the new central framework from July 1.

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Failure to adopt the replacement scheme could have affected employment for over 26.05 lakh rural workers in the state and disrupted central assistance linked to rural development programmes.

According to official data, 26,05,702 workers have been migrated to the new scheme, including 12,58,740 men and 13,46,962 women.