Kurukshetra, Jul 2 (PTI): Haryana minister Krishan Lal Panwar on Thursday launched the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) in the state and said beneficiaries would receive the highest daily wage in the country at Rs 409 under the scheme.
At a state-level function held here, the development and panchayats minister said wage payments, which earlier took up to 15 days, would now be made within seven days.
He said officials found responsible for delays or negligence would face a penalty of Rs 10,000, replacing the earlier provision of Rs 1,000.
The minister also announced mandatory biometric attendance for workers at worksites to ensure transparency and prevent irregularities.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had released Rs 590.19 crore as the Centre's share for the scheme that has replaced MGNREGA, while the Haryana government had contributed nearly Rs 370 crore.
Panwar formally launched the scheme online from a pond excavation project at Shahzadpur village in Kurukshetra.
Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan addressed the programme virtually.
Panwar said eligible rural workers would have to register online, following which their documents and eligibility would be verified.
Employment would be provided within 15 days of registration, failing which workers would be entitled to unemployment allowance.
Under the scheme, each eligible household would receive a guarantee of 125 days of employment annually.
Wages would be transferred directly into beneficiaries' bank accounts. Workers would also be entitled to 60 days of leave during sowing and harvesting seasons.
Panwar said the scheme aims to generate rural employment while promoting water conservation, natural resource management and rural infrastructure development.
It covers works related to agriculture, climate change adaptation, disaster mitigation, animal husbandry, fisheries, rural markets, storage facilities and skill development.
He said 318 categories of works has been approved under the scheme and the list has already been circulated to departments across the state.
Highlighting women's participation, Panwar said Haryana has around 70,000 self-help groups and nearly three lakh women have already become "Lakhpati Didis" against the state government's target of creating five lakh such beneficiaries.
The minister also said he submitted several suggestions to the Union government for strengthening the scheme.
These included integrating works under PMGSY-IV with VB-G RAM G, creating a separate budget for road maintenance, filling vacant posts related to the scheme and increasing financial support to workers' families in case of death while on duty.
He proposed replacing the existing compensation of Rs 25,000 with an insurance cover of Rs 2 lakh for workers and urged the early release of pending instalments under housing schemes for poor beneficiaries.
Panwar also criticised the Congress, alleging that it had opposed the legislation related to the scheme in Parliament. PTI VSD KVK KVK
(This story is published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. No editing has been done in the headline or the body by ABP Live.)
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