250 lawmakers, activists write to Modi, say MGNREGA fund crunch 'alarming'

Lawmakers and the activists say MGNREGA fund crunch comes when there is distress across rural India.

Lawmakers, activists and farm leaders are among the 250 people who have written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising their concern over funds for MGNREGA, the country’s main rural employment scheme.

The letter urges Modi to strengthen the scheme and "formally include it as part of the set of measures being considered to deal with the current rural and agrarian crisis".

On January 1, over 99 per cent fund of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA scheme was reportedly exhausted, three months before the end of the financial year.

"Despite repeated public statements by your government promising