Additional Rs 10,000 crore allocated for MNREGA earlier this month: Centre

The finance ministry allocated Rs 10,000 crore earlier this month as an interim measure for the rural employment guarantee scheme over and above the budgetary allocation, the Ministry of Rural Development said on Thursday.

Further, allocation may be made upon assessment of demand during the Revised Estimate stage, said the rural development ministry -- the nodal ministry for the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

In the Union Budget presented earlier this year, the government allocated Rs 73,000 crore to the scheme for the financial year 2021-22. In the previous financial year, the Centre had revised the allocation to Rs 1.11 lakh crore from an initial allocation of Rs 61,500 crore.

Sources said the funds allocated for the scheme have already been utilised and an additional allocation of Rs 10,000 crore was made by the finance ministry in the first week of November.

Meanwhile in a statement, the rural development ministry reiterated its commitment to release funds for wage and material payments for proper implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

Whenever additional fund is required, the finance ministry is requested to provide the funds. In the previous financial year, the ministry allocated Rs 50,000 crore additional funds for the scheme over and above that of budgetary estimate, according to the statement.

"Recently, the ministry of finance allocated additional funds of Rs 10,000 crore for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA as an interim measure. Further, allocation may be made upon assessment of demand during the Revised Estimate stage," the rural development ministry said.

It further said the Centre is committed to release funds for wage and material payments for proper implementation of the scheme, according to the provisions of the act and guidelines applicable for central and state governments.

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) provides guarantee of at least 100 days of wage employment against the demand made by a household in a rural area.

The workers under the act are given job cards which are linked with their Aadhaar numbers and bank accounts. It provides supplementary means of livelihood to people in rural areas, primarily during lean periods.

The Centre has also announced additional employment over and above 100 days per household to up to 150 days in notified drought-affected districts in various states of the country.