Lok Sabha Question No. 863 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-07-25
Subject: Low Budget under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: P. Velusamy

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 863 ANSWERED ON 25/07/2023

## LOW BUDGET UNDER MGNREGS

## 863.  SHRI VELUSAMY P.:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has allocated Rs. 60,000 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for the year 2023-24 against the previous year allocation of Rs. 73,000 crore;
- (b) if  so,  the  reasons  for  which  MGNREGS budget has been kept so low despite huge pending dues;
- (c) the  total  amount  budgeted  or  released  under  MGNREGS  to Tamil Nadu for theyear 2023-24;
- (d) the  funds  released  to  the  State  of  Tamil  Nadu  for  MGNREGS during the current financial year as compared to the last year; and
- (e) the amount released for Tamil Nadu under the scheme for the current year for past dues and new works?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)&(b):   The details of financial allocation at Budget Estimate (BE) stage  and  Revised  Estimate  (RE)  stage  under  Mahatma  Gandhi National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi NREGS) for financial year 2022-23 and current financial year 202324 (as on 21.07.2023) are given below:

## (Rs. in crore)

|   SI. No. | Financial Year   | Budget Estimate   | Revised Estimate   |
|-----------|------------------|-------------------|--------------------|
|         1 | 2022-23          | 73,000.00         | 89,400.00          |
|         2 | 2023-24          | 60,000.00         | -                  |

Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand-driven wage employment Scheme. Funds release to States/UTs is a continuous process and Central  Government  is  committed  to  making  funds  available  to States/UTs for the implementation of the Scheme as per the demand for work on the ground.

The  Ministry  seeks  additional  funds  under  Mahatma  Gandhi NREGS  from  the  Ministry  of  Finance  as  and  when  required  for meeting the demand for work on the ground.

(c),(d)  &  (e):  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  is  a  demand  driven  wage employment scheme. There is no State/UT-wise allocation of funds under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.

Details  of  funds  released  to  the  State  of  Tamil  Nadu  under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the financial year 2022-23 and current financial year 2023-24 (as on 21.07.2023) are given below:

| Financial year                                           | 2022-23   | 2023-24   |
|----------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|
| Funds released to the State of Tamil Nadu (Rs. in crore) | 9,706.62  | 5,112.31  |

The funds are released under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS based on the provision of the Mahatma  Gandhi  National Rural  Employment Guarantee Act and guidelines. As per guidelines, the first installment of the first tranche is released in the first half of April after  adjusting  unspent  balance  available  with  the  States  and considering the pending liabilities, if any.

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