Rural workers across Tamil Nadu are facing a significant shortfall in job opportunities under the VB-G RAM G scheme, with participants receiving an average of only 10 days of work during the first 91 days of the program. This performance is well below the government's Vetri 150 initiative, which pledged to provide 150 days of employment. Since the scheme commenced on July 1, laborers have reported receiving work only once every four to five weeks.
Access to employment has been further constrained by a reduction in worksite capacity, with authorities cutting the limit from 50 to 20 workers per site. This policy shift impacts nearly 80 lakh active participants. Furthermore, the program has failed to generate any work in 43 panchayats, and many laborers are experiencing payment delays extending up to four weeks.
In response to these challenges, the CPI(ML) has scheduled a protest for September 30 to demand increased work opportunities. C Mathivan, a state-level functionary for the party, confirmed the planned demonstration.
Officials from the rural development and panchayat raj department have acknowledged the difficulties, attributing them to initial implementation issues following a revision of the scheme's rules. A senior official noted that 12 lakh man-days were generated on Monday and expressed optimism regarding the program's trajectory. The official stated, "We are confident that employment levels will increase to meet the target of 50 man-days per household by the end of the fiscal year."
