Budget's MGNREGA spend cut perplexing, says India Ratings

Cutting rural employment guarantee commitments in the Budget despite a build-up of distress was termed as ‘perplexing’ by India Ratings on Friday. 

On the over 20 per cent cut in the fund allocations proposed to the MGNREGA works for the second consecutive year amid the pandemic, the domestic ratings agency said "the reduction...is perplexing, particularly when distress is building- up in the rural India." 

Amid widespread welcoming of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman's Budget for its 35 per cent increase in capital expenditure, India Ratings said the focus is on less employment intensive sectors like roads and long gestation projects.