New Delhi: Six months into the financial year, the Union rural development ministry has already released 93.5 percent of the budget for the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to states. It has sought more funds from the finance ministry, ThePrint has learnt.
Activists who had opposed the Narendra Modi-led central government’s decision to slash the MGNREGS budget — from Rs 73,000 crore last year to Rs 60,000 crore this year — allege that the government is gradually trying to close the programme which guarantees at least 100 days of paid work to rural families across the country.
“The slashing of the budget this year has sent a message to the grassroots that less work will be given this year. As most of this year’s budget has been released, it will have an adverse impact on the ground. We have seen that when the budget is low, people find it difficult to get work as the allocation of work is slow,” said Richa Singh, a member of the Uttar Pradesh-based Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS), an organisation for NREGA workers.
The issue was also raised at a two-day convention, beginning 3 October in New Delhi, that was organised by the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha — a national platform of workers’ collectives, trade unions, organisations and individuals engaged in public action on NREGA. At the convention, workers and activists spoke about difficulties they face in getting work and receiving payment.
In a press statement Wednesday, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha said, “The Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy data shows that the unemployment rate in rural India is at a two-year high of 8.73 percent. In spite of this, the central government has taken several steps towards the systematic destruction of NREGA…such as budget cuts, inordinate delays in wage payments and arbitrary imposition of opaque and inaccessible technologies…(such as) Aadhaar-based payment system.” ThePrint has a copy of the statement.
The group also criticised the government for slashing the budget, and said, “as of 4 October 2023, less than 4 percent of the NREGA budget remains.”
Meanwhile, the rural development ministry has said funds were not an issue for the implementation of the scheme.
In a statement issued Thursday, the ministry said, “MGNREGA is a demand-driven wage employment programme and fund release to states/UTs is a continuous process, and the central government is making funds available keeping in view the demand for work…The ministry seeks additional funds for MGNREGS as and when required for meeting the demand for work on the ground.”
According to the statement, till 4 October, Rs 56,103.69 crore had been released to states. A senior ministry official confirmed to ThePrint that more funds had been sought from the finance ministry.
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Delayed payments
Citing delays in payments to workers, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha had said that payment of Rs 17,364 crore for the past three financial years was due for 14 states with a sizeable number of NREGA workers.
Addressing the issue, the ministry statement said, “The ministry has been making all efforts to pay wages in time. States/ UTs have been advised to generate pay orders in time …The delay in payment of wages is due to implementation issues in the states which include inadequate staffing, measurement, data entry, generation of wage list ….”
Meanwhile, members of the ruling All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal are protesting against the central government’s decision to stop the state’s NREGA funds. Senior TMC leaders earlier this week held a protest in Delhi, alleging that the Centre owes close to Rs 15,000 crore to Bengal under MGNREGA and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana.
In its statement, the rural development ministry said, “Funds of state of West Bengal have been stopped from 9 March, 2022, as per provision of Section 27 of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, due to non-compliance of directives of central government.”
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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