The central government on October 6, 2026 released a list of 375 permissible rural works under the Viksit Bharat — Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB–G RAM G] Act, 2025, with disaster preparedness and extreme weather events categorised separately for the first time.
The presidential statement issued by the Union Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) stated that, for the first time, a dedicated category for disaster preparedness and extreme weather events has been incorporated into the rural works framework, comprising 38 works.
“These include flood relief shelters, retaining walls, embankment strengthening, flood protection works, post-disaster restoration of rural roads and community assets, and forest-fire management measures such as fire lines and fuel-buffer zones,” the statement said.
The new category is aimed at empowering rural communities and building assets against floods, cyclones, storms, droughts, landslides, forest fires and other extreme weather events, it added.
As per the MoRD, the new schedule now encompasses a 41 per cent expansion over the 266 previously listed or permissible works. These works have been rearranged around four broad categories — Water Security, Core Rural Infrastructure, Livelihood-related Infrastructure and Special Works for Extreme Weather Events and Disaster Preparedness.
The statement said the reason behind establishing a new framework is to go beyond the conventional list of asset building and align wage employment with the aim of creating durable rural assets with measurable development outcomes.
It said that every work will take a bottom-up approach through a decentralised planning process as laid out under the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan, approved by the Gram Sabha. The works will be monitored through the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack as per the provisions of the VB-GRAMG.
The statement added that the water security pillar has identified 128 works — the highest among the four categories. Some of the works include building assets such as check dams, gully plugs, underground dykes, recharge shafts, injection wells, rejuvenation of rivers, rivulets and nallahs, reclamation of waterlogged land and renovation of field water-distribution channels.
“The Schedule also provides for drip irrigation, sprinkler systems, rooftop rainwater harvesting and tankas, along with newer interventions such as ice-stupas and artificial glaciers for water conservation and irrigation,” the MoRD said.
The VB-GRAMG has listed 111 works under the Core Rural Infrastructure pillar for creating essential civic and community infrastructure.
These works include solar street lighting, waste-to-wealth recycling plants, greywater treatment units, segregation sheds, rural libraries, veterinary and rural health centres, Common Service Centres, multipurpose youth centres, community facilities, and additional classrooms and laboratories in government schools.
This category also includes repair and maintenance of Jal Jeevan Mission water-supply infrastructure, along with rural parks, footpaths and other village-level amenities.
The new framework now adds additional weight to livelihood-related infrastructure, identifying 98 works permitted under the category.
The livelihood-related infrastructure is recognised as agro-processing and value-addition infrastructure, cleaning, grading and packaging units, cold storage facilities, mini flour mills, market yards, dairy infrastructure, mushroom cultivation sheds, sericulture sheds, poly-houses and aquaculture structures.
These assets are aimed at providing infrastructure for Self-Help Groups and their federations, including SHG worksheds, SHE Marts and federation buildings, along with training-cum-skill development centres.
“The share of livelihood-related works rises substantially, accounting for 26 per cent of the total permissible works under the new framework, compared with 1.1 per cent under the previous framework,” the MoRD said.
These four categories in the new schedule put emphasis on agriculture, vulnerable households, women and rural youth.
As many as 181 works are under agriculture and allied works, including 52 individual-beneficiary works, covering water, land, plantation, livestock and other productive assets that directly support farmers.
A total of 107 are targeted at Antyodaya/vulnerable households, comprising 68 individual-beneficiary works, including housing, sanitation, energy, irrigation, plantations, livestock shelters and other household-level assets.
“The framework also includes 36 works related to Nari Shakti and 36 works related to Yuva Shakti, covering infrastructure for women’s collectives, SHGs and federations, youth centres, skill development and enterprise-linked infrastructure,” the statement added.
A separate provision now exists for accessibility for people with disabilities, such as the construction of stairs and ramps in government infrastructure. These further include emergency evacuation and relief shelters in border areas, renewable-energy infrastructure and circular-economy interventions, for instance, waste-to-wealth recycling and greywater treatment.
“Under VB–G RAM G, works will be planned through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans, based on local needs and approved by the Gram Sabha. The digital tracking mechanism through the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack will facilitate convergence of investments across Central, State and local schemes while helping avoid duplication,” the statement underlined.