Centre unveils ₹1.25 lakh crore rural development push; new framework from July 1

📌 Summary:

• Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan chaired a meeting of State Rural Development Ministers on implementing Viksit Bharat GRAM, a new framework taking effect from July 1, 2026
• Financial push: ₹30,000 crore already allocated under MGNREGA, plus an interim allocation of ₹95,692 crore released to States/UTs — taking the total beyond ₹1.25 lakh crore
• Funds will reach nearly 2.80 lakh Gram Panchayats, with each Panchayat receiving several lakhs of rupees for development works and rural asset creation
• Worker-centric transition: the Minister stressed not a single worker should remain without work for even a day, with no disruption in employment generation, wage payments or statutory rights
• Digital readiness: many States have advanced on DBT, SMS-based information, e-KYC and face authentication; 26 States have made budgetary provisions and four remaining States urged to expedite

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 — inclusive growth, rural employment (MGNREGA), DBT; GS2 — Centre-State coordination, welfare scheme delivery

📝 Prelims Facts:

• MGNREGA (2005) guarantees 100 days of wage employment per rural household per year
• Total allocation announced exceeds ₹1.25 lakh crore (₹30,000 cr MGNREGA + ₹95,692 cr interim)
• New Viksit Bharat GRAM framework rolls out from 1 July 2026 to ~2.80 lakh Gram Panchayats

🔑 Key Term: Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) — transfer of subsidies/benefits directly into beneficiaries bank accounts to cut leakages and delays.