The correct answer is 1, 2, 3 and 4 In News • The Government of India has notified the commencement of the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB–G RAM G Act, 2025 across all rural areas with effect from 01/07/2026. • The Act enhances the statutory employment guarantee from 100 to 125 days in every financial year and repeals the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 2005. Explanation & Key Takeaways: • The VB-G RAM G Act, 2025 significantly expands the scope of works to align with the goal of Viksit Bharat@2047 by shifting focus from standalone welfare interventions to integrated instruments of development. • The permissible works under the Act are structured into four priority thematic areas to ensure that each day of guaranteed employment creates productive and durable rural assets: • Water security: Includes conservation structures, irrigation support, groundwater recharge, rejuvenation of water bodies, watershed development, and afforestation. • Core rural infrastructure: Encompasses rural roads, public buildings, school infrastructure, sanitation systems, renewable energy facilities, and housing works. • Livelihood-related infrastructure: Focuses on productive assets for agriculture, livestock, fisheries, storage, rural markets, skill development, and circular economy models. • Special works for extreme weather events: Includes disaster preparedness and climate adaptation works like cyclone shelters, embankments, flood management structures, and forest fire management. • Therefore, all four listed areas (1, 2, 3, and 4) are correct thematic categories under the Act. Related Concepts: • Agricultural Pause Period: States are empowered to notify an aggregated pause period of 60 days in a financial year during peak sowing and harvesting seasons to ensure farm labour availability, without compromising the overall 125-day guarantee. • Administrative Expenditure: The administrative expenditure has been increased from 6 percent to 9 percent to promote capacity building, training, and better implementation at the field level. • Wage Delay Compensation: Workers are entitled to receive compensation for delayed wages at the rate of 0.05 percent of the unpaid wages for every day of delay beyond the sixteenth day after the closure of the muster roll. • Unemployment Allowance: If work is not provided within the prescribed timeframe, allowance is payable at not less than one-fourth of the notified wage rate for the first 30 days and one-half for the remaining period of the financial year. Important Notes: • For FY 2026–27, a Central share provision of ₹95,692.31 crore has been made, with the total programme outlay expected to exceed ₹1.51 lakh crore. • All works identified through the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plans (VGPPs) will be integrated into the Viksit Bharat–National Rural Infrastructure Stack (VB‑NRIS). • The Act incorporates modern governance tools, including biometric authentication, geo-referencing, NMMS-enabled systems, and Direct Benefit Transfers (DBT).