Some news has been released pointing out that in terms of employment generated by Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, the data for the first 17 days of December is the lowest ever. It needs to be clarified that Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand-driven plan, and this comparison is not in line with the spirit of the bill.

It should be mentioned that in this fiscal year, so far, more than 2.61 billion person-days have been generated based on the needs of beneficiaries. During the period from April to November of the 2019-20 fiscal year, more than 1.75 billion person-days were generated. In the same period last year, more than 2.76 billion person-days were generated. In the same period of the current fiscal year, more than 2.55 billion person-days were generated.

Work completed in a specific month is included in the MR filled in that month. The plan allows a 7-day data entry window. Therefore, the complete data for December is usually available in about 10 days of the next month. Therefore, a comparison based on the previous 17 days of data takes into account the person-days generated during a small portion of December. According to the provisions of the Act, data entry for projects to be completed in the last week of December 2021 will be reflected in the second week of January 2022.

It is worth mentioning that a total of 169,200 person-days were generated in November 2019, more than 230 million person-days were generated in the same month last year, and more than 220 million person-days were generated in November 2021.

The release of funds for salaries and materials is an ongoing process. Compared with the previous fiscal year, as a budget estimate, the allocation of funds for this fiscal year has increased by more than 18%. In the current fiscal year, so far, more than Rs 74,388 crore has been released for states/UT to implement the program.

When additional funds are needed, the Ministry of Finance is requested to provide funds. Recently, as a temporary measure, the Ministry of Finance allocated 10,000 crore additional funds for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. In addition, it can be allocated based on the needs assessment of the renewable energy stage.

The Government of India is committed to the payment of wages and materials in accordance with the provisions of the laws and guidelines applicable to the central government and state governments in order to properly implement the plan.

Complete News Source : Ministry of Rural Development