Union agriculture and rural development minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday launched the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission-Gramin (VB-G RAM G), the flagship programme of the NDA government at the Centre, at Railway Koduru in Andhra Pradesh’s Tirupati district.Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan take part in the foundation stone-laying ceremony for a farm pond under the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Aajivika Mission Gramin (VB-G RAMG), in Amaravati. (APDeputyCMO/X)Marking the nationwide rollout of the rural employment programme, the Union minister, along with state chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu and deputy chief minister and in-charge of panchayat raj and rural development Pawan Kalyan, kickstarted three development works worth ₹4.55 lakh at Mukkavaripalli village under the scheme.Chouhan also distributed VB G-RAM G job cards to beneficiaries. Union ministers Pemmasani Chandrasekhar and Kamlesh Paswan unveiled the mission’s promotional theme song, while Pawan Kalyan released the scheme’s information booklet and compendium of articles. The leaders also launched the VB G-RAM G online portal.Addressing the gathering, Naidu recalled that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) was also rolled out during the erstwhile UPA government from Anantapur district in Rayalaseema region.He announced that works worth ₹11,700 crore would be undertaken under the VB G-RAM G scheme in Andhra Pradesh, with ₹7,700 crore coming from the Centre and ₹4,000 crore contributed by the state government.He said the programme, to be implemented under the leadership of deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan, would transform villages across the state.The chief minister said the scheme would provide up to 125 days of employment and support the creation of durable rural assets, including roads, drainage systems, canals, farm access roads, and other infrastructure. “Modern technologies such as geo-tagging and biometric authentication would ensure transparency in implementation,” he said.Highlighting the state’s achievements under employment guarantee programmes, Naidu said Andhra Pradesh had generated 554.4 million person-days of employment by spending ₹16,695 crore in the last two years.“The state had also completed 7,000 km of cement concrete roads, constructed 40,000 cattle shelters, 15,500 water troughs, over 107,000 farm ponds, 1,373 km of roads in tribal areas, and developed horticulture plantations over 166,000 acres,” he said.For the current year, the government has set targets of constructing 10,000 km of gravel roads, 1,500 km of cement and BT roads, 500 km of magic drains, and developing horticulture plantations across 100,000 acres, he said.Shivraj Singh Chouhan said the Centre had decided to spend ₹7.5 lakh crore under the VB G-RAM G programme to accelerate rural development across the country. He announced that Andhra Pradesh would receive ₹7,700 crore during the first nine months of implementation.Chouhan said gram sabhas themselves would identify and approve development works under the scheme. Referring to his popular title of “Mama” in Madhya Pradesh, he jokingly said he had now become the “uncle” of Andhra Pradesh as well, adding that “an uncle never comes empty-handed.”He announced that the Centre would sanction 74,212 permanent houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and provide ₹422 crore for rural road connectivity in Andhra Pradesh. He handed over the sanction documents to Naidu and Pawan Kalyan.The Union minister also announced that the Centre would procure 216,250 metric tonnes of Totapuri mangoes under the Market Intervention Scheme and handed over the relevant approval documents to the chief minister.The chief minister said the Centre had extended strong support for the development of Amaravati, where construction activities were progressing rapidly. Criticising the opposition, he remarked that those who had opposed Amaravati were now raising a new slogan of “Mavigun” and asserted that no one could stop the development of the state capital.Naidu reiterated that the Polavaram Project would be completed before the next Godavari Pushkaram and dedicated it to the nation. He said the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant had been protected, the long-pending Railway Zone had been secured, and major investments, including Google’s data centre and a fighter aircraft manufacturing unit at Puttaparthi, were coming to Andhra Pradesh.State ministers Satya Kumar Yadav and Anagani Satya Prasad, MLA Arava Sridhar, senior officials, and other public representatives attended the programme.