BENGALURU: Rural development and Panchayat Raj minister KS Eshwarappa on Tuesday said that unskilled labourers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will now be paid Rs 275 per day. He added that the Centre has approved the move.
At present, MGNREGA workers are paid Rs 249 per day. The minister told the media on Tuesday, “Under MGNREGA, Rs 1,861 crore was released. After paying pending bills, we will be left with Rs 1,077 crore. We will provide jobs to these workers, start work in rural areas, while insisting that they maintain social distance at work.
We are going to expedite work undertaken through MGNREGA.”
The minister also said that they will release Rs 1 crore to each of the drought-hit taluks -- until now, 49 taluks are declared drought-hit. The state government will also release Rs 25 lakh each to 25 taluks that need attention in terms of providing drinking water. Under the 15th Finance Commission, each panchayat will get Rs 40 lakh which is to be used for sanitation and drinking water.