Over ₹44 crore released under MGNREGS so far: Centre tells Lok Sabha

The Centre has released ₹44,323 crore to states and union territories under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) so far, Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In a written reply, the minister gave the figures of disbursements of wages, material and admin components till July 17, 2025.

According to the revelation, the amount disbursed is almost half of the total allocation of ₹86,000 crore earmarked for the financial year 2025-26.

In a written reply to a separate question, MoS Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan said the allocation included full pending wage liabilities and 50 per cent of Material Liabilities of the previous financial year.

"Regarding budget allocation for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS it is submitted that, for the financial year 2024-25, budget allocation of Rs. 86,000 crore has been made, which was the highest ever allocation for the scheme at the Budget Estimate (BE) stage since inception. In the financial year 2025-26, the Government has retained this allocation at ₹86,000 crore, ensuring continued support for rural employment," Chouhan said.

He said that keeping in view the demand-driven nature of the scheme, the rural development ministry closely monitors demand for employment at the ground level and seeks additional funds from the Finance as and when required.