Rural development ministry seeks additional Rs 25,000 cr fund for MGNREGS

The rural development ministry has sought additional funds of about Rs 25,000 crore for the MGNREGS, in a clear indication of a rise in demand for work, sources said on Tuesday.

The ministry has sought Rs 25,000 crore from the finance ministry and it is expected that the funds will be allocated by the second week of this month, the sources told PTI.

In the Union Budget for 2022-23, an amount of Rs 73,000 crore was allocated for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). Of this amount, about Rs 54,000 crore have been allocated to the states so far, the sources said.

About 181 crore person days of work has also been generated under the programme so far, they added.

The total expenditure on the MGNREGS is expected to touch the last financial year's level of Rs 98,000 crore.

The government would take Parliament's approval for the additional fund allocation under the MNREGA through the first batch of the Supplementary Demands for Grants to be tabled in the upcoming winter session.

The MGNREGS aims at enhancing the livelihood security of households in the rural areas of the country by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household, the adult members of which volunteer to do unskilled manual work.