Chandigarh (Balwinder Singh): Haryana Development and Panchayats Minister Krishan Lal Panwar announced that Haryana will offer the highest daily wage in the country at 409 rupees per day under the newly launched Viksit Bharat Employment and Livelihood Mission (VB-JERAMJI). Speaking at a state-level launch event held at Shri Krishna AYUSH University auditorium in Kurukshetra, the minister inaugurated the scheme digitally by kickstarting a pond-digging project in Shahzadpur village. Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan also addressed the gathering via a video link.
The structural overhauls introduced to the scheme aim to optimize transparency and benefit disbursement for rural laborers. Under the revised guidelines, wages will be deposited directly into the bank accounts of the beneficiaries within seven days instead of the previous fifteen-day window. To eliminate corruption and attendance manipulation, biometric attendance at the worksite has been made mandatory. Additionally, the penalty for administrative negligence by officials has been steeply raised from one thousand rupees to ten thousand rupees. The scheme has already received an initial funding of 590.17 crore rupees from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on behalf of the central government, complemented by nearly 370 crore rupees authorized under the guidance of Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini.
The VB-JERAMJI mission focuses heavily on enhancing the rural economy through a wide spectrum of 318 permissible work categories. These primarily include water conservation, natural resource development, agricultural livelihoods, livestock management, fisheries, and rural market infrastructure. Eligible workers must complete an online registration process, and the administration is mandated to provide employment within fifteen days of physical verification. The scheme guarantees 125 days of work annually, failing which an unemployment allowance will be provided. Laborers will also be granted a 60-day leave window during the peak crop harvesting and sowing seasons.
The state government has incorporated dedicated provisions for women empowerment within this framework, specifically funding training and skill development centers. Haryana currently hosts approximately 70,000 self-help groups, and the state administration has set a target to elevate five lakh women to “Lakhpati Didis,” with nearly three lakh women already achieving this milestone. Highlighting policy suggestions presented during a central consultation camp, Panwar recommended integrating the maintenance works of the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana into this mission, separating the 60 percent labor material component, and implementing a robust two-lakh rupee insurance cover for laborers in place of the existing 25,000 rupees ex-gratia compensation.
