The Centre has issued a joint advisory to all states and Union territories, identifying 22 permissible works under the VB-G RAM G Act to strengthen fodder security, pasture development and livestock-supportive infrastructure in rural areas
NEW DELHI — The Centre has issued a joint advisory to all states and Union territories, identifying 22 permissible works under the VB-G RAM G Act to strengthen fodder security, pasture development and livestock-supportive infrastructure in rural areas, the Ministry of Rural Development said on Thursday.
The Department of Rural Development under the Ministry of Rural Development, and the Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, jointly issued the advisory to promote convergence under the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025.
The advisory identifies 22 relevant works from a list of 375 permissible works under the framework. These cover fodder cultivation and storage, pasture development, livestock shelters, dairy infrastructure and veterinary health facilities, a statement said.
The interventions include fodder cultivation for individual households and communities, development of community fodder resources, pastures and grazing lands, silvipasture, fodder banks and silage units.
Other works include construction, repair and maintenance of livestock shelters, community milk collection centres and veterinary centres, community cattle and animal troughs, and Azolla tanks for individual beneficiaries.
The VB-G RAM G Act, which came into force on July 1, 2026, provides a statutory guarantee of 125 days of wage employment per rural household and focuses on the creation of durable assets across four thematic areas, including livelihood-related infrastructure and mitigation of extreme weather events.
The advisory emphasises decentralised, bottom-up and Panchayati Raj Institution-led planning, with fodder development and livestock-supportive infrastructure integrated into the Viksit Gram Panchayat plans, aligned with local development priorities approved through the gram sabha.
The states and Union territories are encouraged to progressively increase expenditure on fodder and livestock-supportive works towards at least 5 per cent of total programme expenditure, wherever supported by local needs, approved plans and applicable guidelines.
Gram panchayats may give particular attention to areas where more than 30 per cent of the population is livestock-dependent, the statement said.
State-specific fodder resource development plans prepared by the ICAR-Indian Grassland and Fodder Research Institute may serve as guiding documents for planning at the district and block levels, it said.
The advisory calls upon states and UTs to prepare comprehensive state action plans for fodder security and livestock infrastructure through convergence among the departments of rural development, animal husbandry, agriculture and other relevant sectors.
It also encourages climate-resilient interventions, including suitable fodder varieties, perennial grasses and integrated crop-livestock systems, wherever relevant and covered under the permissible works.
Reiterating statutory safeguards, the advisory said that all works must adhere to the provisions of the Act, including decentralised and PRI-led planning, compulsory social audit, the district-level ceiling of 40 per cent on the material component, selection of individual beneficiaries in accordance with Schedule I, weekly public disclosures and grievance redressal.