The state administration has taken a stern view of the sluggish pace of the ‘Viksit Bharat-G-Ram-Ji’ (VB G-Ram-Ji) scheme, which was launched to provide employment to rural households in Uttar Pradesh. Three months into the scheme’s implementation, the progress in generating person-days stands at only 56 percent of the set target.
Deeming this performance inadequate, the Rural Development Department has decided to observe a ‘Special Employment Generation Day’ across the state on October 12. On this day, a total of 4,290,275 person-days will be generated across 57,470 panchayats, including those in Hardoi. Rural Development Commissioner Pramod Kumar Upadhyay has written to all District Magistrates and District Programme Coordinators, instructing them to implement this campaign with the utmost seriousness and ensure 100 percent progress. The VB G-Ram-Ji scheme has been effective in the state since July 1, 2026.
**Preparations to Provide Employment**
The scheme’s primary objective is to provide 125 days of unskilled manual employment in a financial year to adult members of rural households and to create durable assets at the village level. However, as the expected results were not achieved by September, preparations are now underway to provide employment in line with demand through this special campaign.
Directives regarding the ‘Special Employment Generation Day’ have been issued by the administration. It will be mandatory for all districts to achieve 100 percent of their assigned person-day generation targets. Among the 375 permissible activities under the scheme, priority will be given to projects that can engage the maximum number of workers and are of public utility. Steps will be taken to ensure the availability of a sufficient number of approved and ready-to-start projects in every Gram Panchayat. Formalities such as work ID generation, geo-tagging, and the uploading of estimates and MIS data onto the secure portal for selected projects must be completed before October 12 to ensure there are no technical glitches on the day itself. E-muster rolls will be issued in a timely manner based on the demand for workers, and eligible workers will be effectively engaged in the work.
**Mandatory Drone Videography**
To ensure transparency and document the impact of the work, drone videography—along with standard photography and videography—will be mandatory at the work sites. The Chief Development Officer (CDO) will assign responsibilities to the Deputy Commissioner (Labour-Employment) and other departmental officials, who will conduct on-site inspections.
**Major Districts Assigned Significant Targets**
**District** | **Panchayats** | **Person-days**
Sitapur | 1,588 | 1,42,920
Prayagraj | 1,540 | 1,38,600
Hardoi | 1,293 | 1,16,370
Gorakhpur | 1,273 | 1,01,840
Ghazipur | 1,238 | 1,11,420
Gonda | 1,192 | 83,440
Basti | 1,187 | 1,06,830
Lakhimpur Kheri | 1,164 | 1,04,760
Pratapgarh | 1,148 | 1,03,320
Siddharthnagar | 1,136 | 1,02,240
**Action Against Negligence**
The government has clarified that any laxity in the implementation of the ‘Special Employment Generation Day’ will not be tolerated. All field-level officials must engage directly at the grassroots level to ensure that actual workers secure employment. Guidelines regarding this have been issued to all concerned officials. -Neha Byadwal, CDO
