Karnataka generated two crore person-days of employment under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G, between July 1 and October 13, a 19% increase over the 1.7 crore person-days recorded under MGNREGA during the corresponding period last year. The rise came as the state faced a steep rainfall deficit and expanded its drought-hit coverage to 226 taluks.
Rural development and panchayat raj minister Eshwar Khandre said the increase reflected higher demand for work among rural poor households, Dalits, disadvantaged unskilled workers and landless labourers. Karnataka implemented VB-G RAM G on July 1 after the scheme replaced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
Raichur recorded the highest employment generation at 24 lakh person-days, followed by Bidar at 21 lakh and Koppal at 18 lakh. On a year-on-year basis, employment generation rose 340% in Vijayanagara, 257% in Kalaburagi, 207% in Koppal, 175% in Ballari and 173% in Bidar, according to figures cited by Khandre.
The state has issued 87,164 new job cards this year and is conducting e-KYC verification of existing cards. It is also holding job card camps to help eligible workers access employment under the programme. Khandre said these measures had helped hundreds of families find work locally instead of migrating in search of employment.
The works being taken up include desilting lakes, rejuvenating canals and ponds, undertaking social forestry, building cattle sheds and farm ponds, preventing soil erosion, constructing compost pits and improving rural roads. The scheme has also been expanded to cover houses built under housing schemes, community halls and rural bus stands, with the stated focus on creating permanent assets and supporting village development.
Each family is eligible for up to 125 days of employment annually. The daily wage is Rs 382 for both men and women, according to the minister. A household that secures the full entitlement can earn up to Rs 47,750 in a year.
The employment increase coincides with the state government’s widening drought assessment. Nine more taluks were declared drought-hit on Wednesday, taking the total number of drought-hit taluks in Karnataka to 226. Only 14 taluks, mostly in the coastal region, remained outside the list. The latest employment figures and drought declarations place rural job creation alongside water conservation and village asset works as immediate administrative priorities for the affected districts.
