By Our Correspondent
NEW DELHI/BHUBANESWAR: The Government of India has allocated Rs. 73,000 crore at Budget Estimate stage for current financial year 2021-22 for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) which is an increase of Rs. 11,500 crore as compared to Budget Estimate for the financial year 2020-21.
In the current FY 2021-22 (as on 23.07.2021), a total of 6.51 crore persons have been provided employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment programme, which provides for livelihood security by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. During previous financial year 2020-21, 11.19 crore persons were provided employment and more than 389.23 crore person-days were generated.
In current financial year 2021-22 (as on 23.07.2021), 6.51 crore persons have been provided employment and more than 130.9 crore person-days have been generated under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. During the financial year 2020-21, an amount Rs. 1, 11, 170.86 crore has been released and an amount of Rs. 41,187.06 crore has been released in current financial year 2021-22 (as on 20.07.2021) for the implementation of programme.
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS aims to strengthen the livelihood resource base of the rural households while creating productive assets. So far, more than 25 lakh assets have been created in the current FY 2021-22. The Act also mandates expenditure of 60% for creation of assets directly related to agriculture and allied activities through development of land, water and trees. In the current FY 2021-22, so far, 73% of the expenditure is incurred on agriculture and allied works.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment programme. Hence, no State/UT-wise (including Tamil Nadu) financial allocation is made. During the current FY 2021-22 (as on 22.07.2021), an amount of Rs. 3322.73 crore has been released by Central Government to the state of Tamil Nadu under Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme.
