Indicating an increase in uptake of MGNREGA work on the ground owing to drought and the gradual revival of the scheme itself, the Union Rural Development Ministry has recently sought an additional `10,000 crore over and above the budgetary allocation.
A senior official from the Ministry said that though there has been good monsoon in some parts of the country, those States facing drought like situation has asked for more funds. Moreover, our emphasis on awareness campaigns as well as better streamlining of the rural job scheme seems to be paying fruit with many rural people opting for the scheme.
“In the budget, about `43,499 crore was allocated for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) this year, out of which `36,134 has been released so far to the States,” a source said adding the Ministry has also cleared about `12,581 crore outstanding of the last year.
Thus, for the smooth operations of the programme this year, the Ministry has sought additional `10,000 crore over and above the budgetary allocation, he added.
Many parts of Karnataka, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Haryana and Rajasthan are reeling under drought. Following the Supreme Court rap, the Government has also released `4000 crore to clear pending liabilities in unpaid wages which is estimated to be `8,000 crore.
Stating that the Government could not turn a blind eye to the unpaid wages, the Supreme Court hearing a petition in April had said, “It's not sufficient to say that so much has been allotted under a scheme.” “Those who worked under MNREGA are waiting for money. Why should people work without being paidIJ You can't tell somebody to work today without money, which will be given after three months,” the Bench said when petitioner Swaraj Abhiyan complained of non-payment.
MNREGA is a demand-driven wage employment programme. Not less than 100 days of employment is provided to registered workers upon receipt of their demand.