11 Ministries Roll Out 125-Day Work Guarantee and 'Crorepati Didi' Roadmap

In a sweeping transformation of grassroots local self-governance on Gandhi Jayanti, rural communities across Uttar Pradesh assembled not merely to catalog local grievances, but to actively decide the economic and developmental roadmap for their villages. Organized under the banner of 'Sudhar Utsav' on October 2, synchronized Gram Sabhas convened across thousands of gram panchayats to bring the operational programs of 11 key central and state ministries directly to the village chaupal. Rooted in Mahatma Gandhi’s foundational philosophy of Gram Swaraj and guided by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s decentralized governance model, the state-wide initiative empowers rural residents to decide on priority public works—from pond restoration and drinking water upkeep to expanding the rural job guarantee to 125 days and elevating self-help group members from Lakhpati Didis to Crorepati Didis.

VB-G RAM G Launches: Rural Employment Guarantee Expanded to 125 Days Across 375 Trades

The flagship employment framework in rural Uttar Pradesh is undergoing a massive operational overhaul under the Vikasit Bharat-Employment and Livelihood Guarantee Mission (Gramin), also designated as VB-G RAM G:

• Increased Mandays Allocation: Moving beyond the standard 100-day limit, the legal employment guarantee for eligible rural households has been officially increased to 125 days of guaranteed wage labor, effective from its rollout baseline starting July 1, 2026.

• 375 Permissible Works: The expanded mandate encompasses 375 approved public works, with heavy emphasis placed on climate-resilient water harvesting, watershed structures, agricultural canals, and durable village infrastructure.

• Direct Gram Sabha Sanction: The assembly of villagers holds absolute administrative authority to prioritize which civic works are initiated first within their village revenue boundaries, directly matching public funds to real local employment demand.

From 'Lakhpati Didi' to 'Crorepati Didi': Transforming Rural Women into Commercial Entrepreneurs

Women's economic self-reliance through Self-Help Groups (SHGs) under the National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) is being scaled to enterprise-level dimensions:

• Sustaining Lakhpati Status: Having successfully guided millions of rural women to generate independent annual household earnings exceeding ₹1,00,000, the state is expanding institutional capital support.

• The Crorepati Didi Ambition: The next frontier focuses on transforming high-performing SHG clusters into micro-enterprises targeting annual collective turnovers of ₹10 lakh to ₹1 crore or more, turning them into Crorepati Didis.

• Direct Retail Integration: Specialized SHE-MARTs and dedicated digital supply chains are being launched at block and district levels, eliminating middlemen and linking rural women’s artisanal foods, handlooms, and organic produce directly with urban consumer markets.

Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0 and Water Security: Focus on Sustained Purity and Pond Rejuvenation

Rural public utilities are shifting from initial tap infrastructure installation to long-term quality monitoring:

• Jal Jeevan Mission 2.0: Moving past simply connecting tap lines, the secondary phase enforces strict quality audits, round-the-clock water availability, testing for microbial contamination, and community-led maintenance of local filtration stations.

• ODF Plus and 4-Way Waste Segregation: Under Swachh Bharat Mission Gramin (Phase 2), Gram Sabhas are implementing comprehensive solid and liquid waste management systems, requiring households to separate waste into four categories (biodegradable wet waste, dry recyclables, plastic scrap, and sanitary waste).

• Community Groundwater Recharge: Panchayats are identifying silted community ponds (amrit sarovars) and dried village wells for desilting, alongside constructing farm-bund recharge pits to raise plunging water tables ahead of summer droughts.

Digital Cooperatives, PACS Modernization, and Clear Land Titles via SVAMITVA

Economic infrastructure across rural markets is receiving complete digital transparency:

• Computerization of PACS: Primary Agricultural Credit Societies (PACS), district cooperative banks, and rural credit societies are undergoing full cloud computerization, transforming local societies into multi-purpose digital service points offering loans, dairy collection, and fisheries support.

• Dispute-Free Land Titles (SVAMITVA): High-resolution drone mapping under the SVAMITVA scheme is generating precise property cards (Gharauni) for village inhabited areas (Abadi), bringing an end to generational property boundary disputes and granting rural homeowners legal collateral for low-interest bank loans.

• Empowering Female Co-Owners: Jointly registering land titles in the name of women heads of households is securing their financial standing and legal rights across rural property registers.

Legal Awareness, Anti-Addiction Drives, and Resolutions for Child Marriage-Free Villages

The Sudhar Utsav agenda actively addresses long-standing social welfare priorities through collective community resolutions:

• Child Marriage-Free Certifications: Supported by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Gram Sabhas possess the authority to pass official resolutions declaring their jurisdiction free of underage marriages, leading to formal district administrative verification and certification.

• Nasha Mukt Bharat Abhiyan: In coordination with the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment, community councils are identifying early symptoms of substance abuse among youth, facilitating direct access to de-addiction counseling, medical detox, and public rehabilitation clinics.

• Understanding New Criminal Laws: Gram Sabhas are educating villagers on modern legal provisions, digital evidence standards, emergency legal aid, and specialized statutory protections safeguarding women and minors.

• Digital GPDP on eGramSwaraj: Amit Kumar Singh, Director of the Panchayati Raj Department, highlighted that through the National Gram Swaraj Mission, elected panchayat representatives are using these Gram Sabha priorities to upload transparent, budget-linked Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDP) directly onto the eGramSwaraj national dashboard.

• Consumer Empowerment via 1915: Citizens are also being connected with the National Consumer Helpline (1915) and the e-Jagriti online dispute redressal portal, allowing rural consumers to lodge consumer rights grievances directly against fraudulent sellers without traveling to district headquarters.