New Delhi : The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament will convene at 11:00 AM on Thursday at the Parliament House Annexe to assess the implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes. The committee is chaired by Congress MP KC Venugopal.
The agenda includes a briefing by the Audit, followed by oral evidence from representatives of the Ministry of Education, the Department of School Education and Literacy, and the Department of Higher Education. The subject under review is “Review of implementation of centrally sponsored welfare schemes.” The committee will evaluate the effectiveness of these schemes at various levels.
Meanwhile, the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or VB-G RAM G Act, came into effect on July 1, 2026. The legislation, passed during the Winter Session of Parliament in 2025, replaced the previous 100-day employment guarantee with a 125-day guarantee.
The Opposition has criticised the Act for removing Mahatma Gandhi’s name from the scheme and introducing a 60:40 funding share between the Centre and States. Under the new framework, each rural household with adult members willing to undertake unskilled manual work is entitled to a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per financial year. This enhancement aims to strengthen livelihood security, improve rural incomes, and promote sustainable village-level development.
The Act guarantees employment to workers within a specified timeframe upon demand for work. If employment is not provided, workers are entitled to unemployment allowance as stipulated in the Act.
The legislation also emphasises timely and transparent wage payments. Wages will be transferred directly into workers’ bank or post office accounts via Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and are to be paid weekly or within fifteen days after the muster roll closes. Failure to meet this deadline entitles workers to delay compensation according to the Act’s provisions.
