Attendance Fraud? Congress Slams BJP Over Viksit Bharat Employment Scheme
Jairam Ramesh accuses BJP of using clone apps to fake attendance in the Viksit Bharat Employment Scheme across Uttar Pradesh.
The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh has heated up as the Congress party has leveled explosive allegations of systemic fraud against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). At the center of the controversy is the Viksit Bharat Employment Scheme (officially the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin), or VB-G RAM G), which Congress claims is being riddled with attendance manipulation to siphon off resources.
The 'Clone App' Controversy
Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh took to social media platform X on November 4, 2026, to detail a sophisticated method of cheating the system. According to Ramesh, "clone applications" are being deployed to bypass the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS).
The NMMS is designed to ensure workers are physically present at the site by requiring real-time photo captures. However, Ramesh alleges that these clone apps allow operators to upload pre-stored photos instead of live images, effectively creating fraudulent attendance records for workers who may not even be on-site.
Hotspots of Alleged Irregularities
The Congress leader specifically pointed toward the Uttar Pradesh districts of Gorakhpur and Sant Kabir Nagar as areas where these irregularities have surfaced. This is not the first time Ramesh has raised alarms regarding the scheme; in October 2026, he had previously highlighted similar concerns in Ayodhya and Chandauli.
Ramesh's critique took a sharp ideological turn when he questioned the morality of these alleged actions, particularly those occurring in regions associated with Lord Ram, describing the situation as a betrayal of the employment rights of the poor.
What is the VB-G RAM G Scheme?
Launched on July 1, 2026, the Viksit Bharat - Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) was introduced to replace the long-standing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The mission is designed to provide a guaranteed 125 days of unskilled manual wage employment every year to rural households, serving as a critical safety net for the rural poor.
The Government's Stance
In response to the growing concerns, the Ministry of Rural Development has defended the integrity of the program. The Ministry previously stated that the scheme is equipped with multiple safeguards to prevent the pilferage of wages, including a robust face authentication system.
While the government maintains that the system is secure, it has acknowledged that reported incidents of irregularities are currently under investigation. Despite these assurances, the Congress party continues to challenge the transparency and integrity of the mission's implementation on the ground.