Overview
- The Ministry of Rural Development notified the 375 permissible works on Tuesday, a 41% expansion from the previous list of 266 activities.
- Works are organised into four pillars with counts of 128 for water security, 111 for core rural infrastructure, 98 for livelihood-related infrastructure and 38 for disaster preparedness.
- Livelihood-focused assets now make up 26% of permissible works, rising sharply from about 1.1% under the earlier framework and including cold storage, agro-processing, market yards and SHG worksheds.
- All projects must be proposed through Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans approved by Gram Sabhas and will be tracked on the Viksit Bharat National Rural Infrastructure Stack to help coordinate funding and avoid duplicate investments.
- The change completes the shift begun when VB‑G RAM G took effect on July 1 by replacing demand-driven MGNREGA with 125 guaranteed days of work, and it leaves states to fund costs beyond central normative allocations, which could strain state budgets and affect on-the-ground rollout.