The Department of Rural Development and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying have jointly asked all states and Union Territories to use the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, or VB-G RAM G, to boost fodder production and livestock infrastructure, the Press Information Bureau (PIB) said on Thursday (November 5).
The VB-G RAM G Act came into force on July 1, 2026. It guarantees 125 days of wage employment a year to each rural household and focuses on creating durable assets, PIB said.
What the advisory allows
The advisory picks 22 works from the scheme's list of 375 permitted works. They include:
- fodder cultivation for households and communities;
- community pastures, grazing land and silvipasture;
- fodder storage, fodder banks and silage units;
- shelters for cattle, goats, pigs and poultry;
- community milk collection centres and veterinary health centres;
- cattle and animal troughs, and Azolla tanks for individual beneficiaries.
The 5% target
States are encouraged to raise spending on fodder and livestock-related works progressively towards at least 5% of total programme expenditure, where local needs and approved plans support it. Gram panchayats are asked to pay particular attention to villages where more than 30% of the population depends on livestock.
The works are to be built into Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans approved by gram sabhas. State fodder plans prepared by the ICAR–Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute can guide district and block planning, and the advisory encourages climate-resilient fodder varieties and perennial grasses.
Why it matters
The advisory is aimed at fodder scarcity and at the livelihoods of small and marginal farmers and landless families who depend on livestock and dairy, PIB said. It means wage work paid for under the jobs guarantee can go into pastures, fodder banks and sheds. How much is actually spent will depend on states and gram panchayats, since the 5% figure is a target to work towards, not a requirement.