**Executive Summary**
On 24 June 2026, the Secretary of Rural Development chaired a high-level inter-ministerial consultation to discuss the Draft Convergence Framework for the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB–G RAM G Act, 2025. The meeting, involving 18 ministries and departments, focused on operationalising a "whole-of-government" approach through decentralized, Panchayati Raj Institution-led planning. Both the Act and the Convergence Framework are scheduled to come into effect on 1 July 2026.
**Key Points / Main Content**
**Core Strategy and Planning**
* **Single Plan – Multi Funding:** The Act envisages a unified planning approach where different schemes work toward common outcomes while maintaining their individual funding structures.
* **Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP):** This serves as the primary planning instrument at the local level, prepared through community participation and approved by the Gram Sabha.
* **Bottom-up Architecture:** Development priorities identified by Gram Sabhas are aggregated through Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) to align with Central and State sectoral programs.
**Thematic Focus and Permissible Works**
* **Focus Areas:** Rural development interventions are organized into four themes: Water Security, Core Rural Infrastructure, Rural Livelihoods, and Special Works for Mitigation of Extreme Weather Events.
* **Permissible Works:** An interim list of 318 works has been notified, covering irrigation, rural connectivity, natural resource management, and disaster preparedness.
**Operational Mechanisms**
* **Digital Interoperability:** High priority is placed on enhancing digital systems to allow different departments to work together seamlessly.
* **Institutional Framework:** The document emphasizes establishing technical and financial convergence mechanisms for coordinated implementation and monitoring.
* **Sustainable Outcomes:** The framework aims to ensure public investments are directed toward locally identified priorities for more effective development.
**Impact Analysis**
**Participating Ministries and Departments (18 total)**
**Impact**
They must align their sectoral programs and investments with the "Single Plan – Multi Funding" approach.
**Action Required**
Identify schemes suitable for convergence, provide suggestions on the Draft Framework, and enhance digital interoperability for coordinated monitoring.
**Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Gram Sabhas**
**Impact**
These bodies are positioned as the central authorities for decentralized, bottom-up planning and local economic development.
**Action Required**
Facilitate community participation to identify local needs, develop the VGPP, and grant Gram Sabha approval for integrated development plans.
**Department of Rural Development**
**Impact**
Acts as the lead coordinating agency responsible for the preparatory activities and the finalization of the Convergence Framework.
**Action Required**
Finalize the Draft Convergence Framework and oversee the operationalisation of the Act and the 318 permissible works by 1 July 2026.
Key Entities Referenced
VB–G RAM G Act, 2025: The Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, which mandates a whole-of-government approach to rural development starting July 2026.
Draft Convergence Framework: A policy document aimed at operationalizing the Act's vision by aligning the mandates, expertise, and funding of various ministries and departments.
Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP): The primary bottom-up planning instrument at the local level used to integrate community needs with resources from Central and State schemes.
Department of Rural Development: The nodal department within the Ministry of Rural Development responsible for leading inter-ministerial consultations and developing the convergence framework.
Panchayati Raj Institutions: The decentralized governance bodies central to the Act’s vision for leading rural development planning and implementation through Gram Sabhas.
Ministry of Rural Development
Secretary, Rural Development Chairs High-Level
Inter-Ministerial Consultation on Convergence
Framework under VB–G RAM G Act, 2025
18 Ministries and Departments Participate in Landmark
Whole-of-Government Meet; VB–G RAM G to Come into
Effect from 1 July 2026
प्रव तथ: 24 JUN 2026 6:48PM by PIB Delhi
A high-level inter-ministerial consultation on the Draft Convergence Framework under the Viksit Bharat –
Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB–G RAM G (वकसत भारत – जी राम जी) Act, 2025
was convened today, 24 June 2026, at Kartavya Bhavan, New Delhi, under the chairpersonship of Shri
Rohit Kansal, Secretary, Department of Rural Development, Ministry of Rural Development.
Representatives and nodal officers from 18 Ministries and Departments of the Government of India
participated in the consultation.
The consultation forms part of the preparatory activities being undertaken ahead of the commencement of
the VB–G RAM G Act on 1 July 2026. The meeting focused on operationalising the Act's vision of a
whole-of-government approach to rural development through decentralized, Panchayati Raj Institution-led
planning and convergence.Chairing the meeting, Shri Rohit Kansal emphasized that convergence is a core pillar of the VB–G RAM
G Act and is essential for addressing interconnected rural development priorities such as water security,
livelihoods, infrastructure, climate resilience and local economic development. He noted that the Act
envisages a "Single Plan – Multi Funding" approach, enabling different schemes and programmes to work
towards common development outcomes while retaining their respective mandates and funding structures.
The Department presented the Draft Convergence Framework developed under the Act. At the centre of
the framework is the Viksit Gram Panchayat Plan (VGPP), which serves as the primary planning
instrument for rural development at the Gram Panchayat level. Prepared through community participation
and approved by the Gram Sabha, the VGPP seeks to integrate local needs with the resources, expertise
and investments available under various Central and State schemes.
The Framework envisages a bottom-up planning architecture in which development priorities identified by
Gram Sabhas are aggregated through Panchayati Raj Institutions and aligned with sectoral programmes of
different Ministries and Departments. The approach aims to ensure that public investments converge
around locally identified priorities, resulting in more effective and sustainable development outcomes.The meeting also reviewed the thematic priorities and permissible works framework under the Act. The
Act organizes rural development interventions under four thematic focus areas: Water Security; Core
Rural Infrastructure; Rural Livelihoods; and Special Works for Mitigation of Extreme Weather Events. To
facilitate operationalisation from 1 July 2026, the Department has notified an interim list of 318
permissible works covering natural resource management, irrigation, rural connectivity, community
infrastructure, livelihood-supporting assets, climate resilience and disaster preparedness. The participants
noted that the broad scope of permissible works provides substantial opportunities for convergence across
sectors and schemes.
Detailed discussions were held on strengthening technical and financial convergence, identifying schemes
suitable for convergence, enhancing digital interoperability, and establishing institutional mechanisms for
coordinated implementation and monitoring. Participating Ministries and Departments shared their
observations and suggestions on the Draft Framework.
Among others, the meeting was attended by Smt. Rohini Bhajibhakare, Joint Secretary (Rural
Employment), Shri Ashish Gupta, Deputy Secretary (Rural Employment), and other senior officers of the
Department of Rural Development.
The Convergence Framework is proposed to be operationalised from 1 July 2026 along with the
commencement of the VB–G RAM G Act and is expected to strengthen decentralized planning, optimise
public investments and accelerate integrated rural development through a coordinated whole-of-
government approach.
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