According to a recent report, funds are not available under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) scheme.
- It may be noted that 21 states have shown negative net balance under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MGNREGA. Of these, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal are the worst.
- Only Rs 73,000 crore was earmarked for the scheme for the year 2021-22. In case the fund gets exhausted in the current budget year, provision for supplementary budgetary allocation was made.
- It may be mentioned that till October 29, the total expenditure including due payments had reached Rs 79,810 crore.
- However, the supplementary budget allocation can be released only after the commencement of the upcoming parliamentary session.
Other issues related to MGNREGA
- 13% of the households seeking work under the scheme were not given work.
- A new study found that 71% of transactions were delayed by more than the stipulated seven days, and 14% were delayed by more than the stipulated 30 days.
- MGNREGA is a demand based programme. It guarantees 100 days of unskilled work to any rural household.
- The MGNREGA Act entitles rural households to work, and makes it mandatory for the state to provide them work on demand.
- During the COVID-19 lockdown last year, the scheme eventually got the highest ever budget allocation of Rs 1.11 lakh crore and provided a vital lifeline to a record 11 crore workers.
Source – The Hindu
