NEW DELHI: Taking strong exception to the slashing of Budget allocation for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the current financial year, a Standing Committee on Rural Development said that the rural job scheme is the last resort of succour for the jobless section and worked as a lifeline for lakhs of people during Covid-19 pandemic.
The panel, which submitted its report in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday, said the budget estimates for MGNREGS have been reduced by Rs 29,400 crore for 2023-24 when compared to revised estimates for 2022-23. “The Act governing the MGNREGS provides ‘Right to Work’ to such deprived sections of the rural populace who are willing to work,” said the report.
“There was an increase in the allocation in the previous two to three years because of abnormal situations like the Covid-19 pandemic, the Ukraine war, and inflation... now the situation has normalised a bit. In 2020-21, the original budget was Rs 61,000 crore,” the ministry said.