Union Minister for Rural Development, and Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare, Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan held a review meeting today on the programmes of the Department of Rural Development and the Department of Land Resources under the Ministry of Rural Development.

During the discussions on MGNREGA and the VB - G Ram G Act in the meeting, it was informed that a budget of 244 crore agreed man-days had been allocated to the states this year, out of which 204 crore man-days have already been generated. So far, under the MGNREGA scheme during the year 2025-26, 64.70 lakh works have been completed, and up to January 2025, 198 crore man-days have been generated. Information on the state-wise progress of the scheme was also provided during the discussion. It was also stated that in the current financial year under the scheme, Rs 65,506 crore have been released under the wage component. During this time, there was also a discussion on the pending labour budget of West Bengal.

The meeting extensively discussed the e-KYC of workers. It was informed during this that face authentication technology is being successfully used in one district of every state under MGNREGA. It was also stated that the face authentication system can be used even without internet. Currently, e-KYC of 80 percent of workers has been completed, and this scheme will soon be implemented across the country. The Union Minister appreciated the use of this technology and directed that no eligible worker under the ongoing MGNREGA scheme should face any difficulty in getting work, and there should be no shortage of budget in any component of MGNREGA.

The meeting further conducted a detailed review of the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya Yojana (DDU-GKY). During the discussion, it was stated that e-KYC of women and youth has been completed under both schemes through the ‘Kaushel Panji App’, which eliminates any possibility of duplication. The review meeting provided information on the scheme being implemented as per the standards set by the Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship. It was informed in the discussion that up to January 2026, training has been provided to 18.29 lakh candidates, and 11.78 lakh candidates have been placed. During this, the important role of banks in RSETI programmes was also discussed. It was stated that previously the operations were being conducted through a private agency, which has now been streamlined. It was also informed that with the help of NIC, an integrated digital platform kausal.rural.gov.in has been created for both schemes.

A target has been set to increase the coverage of the RSETI scheme across the country. The process of establishment in 619 districts of rural areas is underway. Out of these, construction of 407 buildings has been approved. Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan said that these should also be regularly reviewed at the state level so that pending works are completed quickly and targets are achieved on time. Shri Chouhan appreciated the 100 percent registration on the ‘Kaushel Panji App’ and the newly proposed reforms. He also expressed satisfaction with the progress under the scheme.

During this, a review of the PMKSY scheme and the LandStack scheme of the Department of Land Resources was also conducted. It was stated in the discussion that digitization of 99.81 per cent of land records has been completed. As an integral part of the Digital India Land Records Modernisation Programme (DILRMP), 66.53 percent of land parcels have been standardised under the Unique Land Parcel Identification Number (ULPIN). The LandStack (Land-System) pilot project is successfully running at identified sites in Tamil Nadu and Chandigarh. It will be implemented across the country in the coming five years.

Secretary of the Ministry of Rural Development and Land Resources Department, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, and the Joint Secretaries of both departments were present in the meeting.

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RC/MS/ MK

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