Lok Sabha Question No. 551 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Central Assistance under VB-GRAMG
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. T Sumathy Alias Thamizhachi Thangapandian

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 551 ANSWERED ON 03/02/2026

## CENTRAL ASSISTANCE UNDER VB-GRAMG

551.  Dr. T SumathyAliasThamizhachiThangapandian:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether it is a fact that pending Central assistance of about Rs. 4,000 crore under rural employment programmes including the proposed Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-GRAMG) framework has not been released to Tamil Nadu;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  assessed  the  impact  on  over eighty lakh job card holders in the State;
- (c) whether targets under Pradhan MantriAwasYojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) have not been achieved in certain delta districts due to delayed release of Central share;
- (d) the  status  of  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  SadakYojana  (PMGSY) Phase-IV  works  in  Tamil  Nadu  including  tendering  progress; and
- (e) the  steps  proposed  to  ensure  timely  release  of  funds  to disaster-affected rural regions?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand-driven wage employment  scheme. Under  the  Scheme,  the  Wage  payments  are directly credited by the Central Government to the accounts of the beneficiaries through Direct Benefit Transfer protocol. Sanctions for Wage payments are issued daily by the Ministry through the Public Finance Management System (PFMS) based on fund transfer orders received from the States/ UTs  after following  due procedures. At the  beginning of each financial year, admissible pending liabilities of the previous years, if any, are duly reimbursed by the Government

of India. Accordingly, all due and admissible pending wage liabilities upto FY 2024-25 have already been cleared.

With  regard  to  Material  and  Admin  components,  States/UTs including Tamil Nadu are required to furnish fund release proposals to the Government of India. The Central Government releases funds periodically in two tranches with each tranche consisting of one or more installments, keeping in view the 'agreed to' Labour Budget, demand  for  works,  opening  balance,  pace  of  utilization  of  funds, pending liabilities, overall performance and subject to submission of relevant documents by the States/UTs including Tamil Nadu.

Under the Scheme, in the current financial year 2025-26 (as on 29.01.2026), an amount of Rs.  6,843.61 crore has been released to Tamil Nadu, which included Rs.  5,836.60 crore for Wage component and an amount of Rs.1007.00 crore for Material and Admin Components.  As  Sanction  for  payment  of  Wages  are  issued  by Ministry on a daily basis through PFMS (Public Finance Management System), after receipt of funds transfer orders from States/UTs after following the due procedures, the fund release status  keeps updating on a daily basis.

The pending liabilities for the wage component under Mahatma Gandhi  NREGS  in  respect  of  Tamil  Nadu  as  on  29.01.2026  are Rs.999.51 crore.

- (b): The Ministry regularly reviews the performance of the implementation  of  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  in  States/UTs  through various fora viz., Mid-Term Review, Labour Budget meetings, Labour Budget  Revision  meetings,  Programme  Review  meetings.  Central Employment  Guarantee  Council  and  State  Employment  Guarantee Councils  periodically  monitor  implementation  of  the  programme. State Technical Cell are constituted at various level in the States to regularly  monitor  the  progress  of  works.   In  FY  2025-26  (as  on 29.01.2026), 99.81% of rural households demanding work have been offered employment.

Further, while Ministry is committed  for ensuring timely release  of  funds  for  wage  payment  to  the  States/UTs,  as  per  the provisions mentioned in Schedule-II of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), wage seekers shall be entitled to receive payment of compensation for the delay, at the rate of 0.05% of the unpaid wages per day of delay  beyond  the  sixteenth  day  of  closure  of  muster  roll. Delay compensation rules are notified by the State Government

concerned.  The  amount  due  for  compensation  is  duly  verified  and approved and then paid by the State Government.

(c):      The  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  is  implementing  the Pradhan MantriAwaasYojana- Gramin (PMAY-G) w.e.f. 1st April, 2016 to construct 4.95 crore houses by March 2029 (including the target of previous phase i.e. 2.95 crore houses) by providing assistance to eligible rural households with basic amenities to attain the goal of 'Housing for All'. The Ministry of Rural Development has allocated a target  of  4.15  crore  houses  to  the  States/UTs  under  PMAY-G, against which more than 3.87 crore houses have been sanctioned to the  beneficiaries  and  more  than  2.95  crore  houses  have  been completed  as  on  28.01.2026.  The  State  of  Tamil  Nadu  has  been allocated  a  total  target  of  9,57,825  houses,  out  of  which  7,36,610 houses  have  been  sanctioned  and  6,63,247  houses  have  been

- completed by the State as on 28.01.2026.

The  main  challenges  in  implementation  of  PMAY-G  included the delay in release of Central & State Share from State Treasury to State Nodal Account  of PMAY-G  by  the States/UT, cases of unwillingness of beneficiaries, permanent migration, disputed succession of deceased beneficiaries, delay in allotment of land to landless beneficiaries by the States/UTs and at times General/Assembly/Panchayat elections and unavailability of building materials.

PMAY-G is now being implemented through the SNA-SPARSH platform of fund release to States.  As on 28.01.2026, the State of Tamil Nadu has been issued a mother sanction of Rs. 523.695 crore for FY 2025-26 under PMAY-G.

- (d):     The  Government  has  launched  PMGSY-IV  in  2024  to  provide all-weather connectivity to 25,000 unconnected rural habitations of population size 500+ in plains, 250+ in NE & Hill Sates/UTs, special category  areas  (Tribal  Schedule  V,  Aspirational  Districts/Blocks, Desert  areas)  and  100+  in  LWE  affected  districts,  as  per  Census 2011. The timeline for completion of PMGSY-IV is March 2029.

The State of Tamil Nadu has conducted survey for the unconnected habitations to be covered under PMGSY-IV. Out of the 5  eligible  habitations  approved  by  the  State,  4  habitations  have been  approved  as  eligible  on  Online  Management,  Monitoring  and Accounting System (OMMAS)  by National Rural Infrastructure Development Agency (NRIDA).

eligible

Proposal for sanctioning of roads for approved habitations is yet to be received from the State of Tamil Nadu.

(e):    To  ensure the timely release of funds under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, the Ministry has undertaken several measures as detailed below:

1. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT):  Under  the  Scheme,  wage payments are directly  credited  by  the  Ministry  into  the  bank accounts of workers through the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) protocol. In respect of Material and Admin components, funds are released to States/UTs through the SNA-SPARSH system.
2. Public Financial Management System (PFMS): This Ministry is using  the  PFMS  platform  to  monitor  and  ensure  the  efficient and timely transfer of funds to the States & UTs. This system helps in real time tracking of the fund flow and its utilization.
3. Standard  Operating  Procedure  (SOP)  for  Wage  Payments: as per  the  provisions  of  the  Act,  beneficiaries  are  entitled  to receive wage payments within 15 days of work completion. In order to ensure timely payment, the Government of India has issued a comprehensive Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to all States/UTs, which defines fixed timelines for each stage of  the  wage  payment  process  from  muster  roll  uploading  to FTO approval. The Ministry along with the States/UTs has been making concerted efforts for improving the timely payment of wages. States/UTs have been advised to generate pay orders in time.
4. Regular Monitoring and Reviews: The Ministry conducts continuous  monitoring  through  regular  review  meetings  with States/UTs and relevant stakeholders including banks, PFMS, and  NIC-DRD  to  identify  bottlenecks  and  facilitate  timely transfer of funds.
5. Strengthening Transparency and Accountability: Several technology-driven initiatives have been implemented, including  Geo-tagging  of  assets,  National  electronic  Fund Management  System  (Ne-FMS),  National  Mobile  Monitoring System (NMMS), Aadhar Payment Bridge System (APBS), and the  Software  for  Estimate  Calculation  using  Rural  rates  for Employment (SECURE). Further, National Level Monitors (NLMs) and regular Social Audits also enhance transparency.
6. Social  Audits:  As  per  Section  17(2)  of  the  Mahatma  Gandhi NREGA  Act,  2005,  Gram  Sabhas  are  mandated  to  conduct regular  Social  Audits  of  works  executed  under  the  Scheme. The Ministry has emphasized establishing institutional structures at the State/UT level for facilitating social audits in all  Gram  Panchayats  at  least  twice  a  year.  As  a  result,  27 States  and  1  UT  have  established  Independent  Social  Audit Units.

Here, it  is  also  submitted  that  there  is  no  separate  provision  for district-wise/region-wise release of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme.

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