Parliament Public Accounts Committee to review implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes today
New Delhi, July 2
The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament will meet at 11:00 AM on Thursday at Parliament House Annexe to review the implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes.
Congress MP KC Venugopal will chair the committee.
The agenda includes a briefing by the Audit, followed by oral evidence from representatives from the Ministry of Education, Department of School Education and Literacy, and Department of Higher Education on the subject "Review of implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes".
The committee will examine the implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes and their effectiveness across various levels.
Meanwhile, the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or the VB-G RAM G Act, came into effect on July 1, 2026. The centrally sponsored welfare schemes were passed in the Winter Session of Parliament in 2025.
The legislation replaced the 100-day employment guarantee with a 125-day guarantee. However, the Opposition has criticised the legislation for removing Mahatma Gandhi's name from the scheme and bringing in the 60:40 share of funds between the Centre and States.
Under the new framework, every rural household whose adult members volunteer to undertake unskilled manual work shall be entitled to a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment in every financial year. The enhanced guarantee is intended to strengthen livelihood security, improve rural incomes and support sustainable village-level development.
Employment shall be provided to workers against their demand for work within the prescribed timeframe, failing which workers shall remain entitled to unemployment allowance in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
The Act places strong emphasis on timely and transparent wage payments. Wages shall continue to be transferred directly into workers' bank or post office accounts through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT). Wages are to be paid on a weekly basis or within fifteen days from the closure of the muster roll, failing which workers shall be entitled to delay compensation in accordance with the provisions of the Act.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Why remove Gandhi's name? It was a symbol of dignity for rural employment. The 60:40 sharing is also worrying—states with less revenue will struggle. Hopefully, the committee will address these concerns.
Direct Benefit Transfer is a step in the right direction. In my village, earlier people had to wait months for wages. Weekly payments could really help migrant families who rely on this income. 👏
The opposition is just playing politics. More days of work and faster payments are actual benefits. And if states don't have money, they can ask for more central assistance instead of opposing. Pragmatism over symbolism!
I work with SHGs in rural areas. The 125-day guarantee sounds nice on paper, but in many blocks, there aren't enough projects to employ people. Without proper planning, this will just lead to more unemployment allowance claims and wastage of taxpayer money.
Interesting approach. In the US, we have unemployment insurance, but it's much less flexible. The weekly wage payment mechanism could reduce distress migration. Hope the audit highlights implementation gaps.
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.