Lok Sabha Question No. 668 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2026-02-03
Subject: Increase in Climate Extremes
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Smt. Pratima Mondal

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA

## UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 668 ANSWERED ON 03/02/2026

## INCREASE IN CLIMATE EXTREMES

## 668.  Smt. PratimaMondal:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the  details  of  steps  taken  by  the  Ministry  to  align  rural employment  and  asset  creation  with  climate  resilience  and adaptation  in  the  context  of  increasing  climate  extremes recognized globally; and
- (b) the details of real-term expenditure on key rural development schemes declined, even as inflation, food insecurity and cost of living pressures disproportionately affect rural households?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a): Under  the  Viksit  Bharat-Guarantee  for  Rozgar  and  Ajeevika Mission (Gramin): VB-G  RAM  G  Act,  2025,  climate  resilience, adaptation, and  mitigation of  extreme  weather  risks  form  an integral part of the statutory rural employment and asset creation framework.  The  primary  objective  of  the  Act  is  to  align  the  rural development  framework  with  the  national  vision  of  Viksit  Bharat @2047  by  providing  an  enhanced  statutory  wage  employment guarantee of one hundred and twenty-five days per financial year to rural  households  whose  adult  members  volunteer  to  undertake unskilled  manual  work,  while  simultaneously  creating  durable  and productive rural assets. The Act specifically provides for thematic focus on water security, core rural infrastructure, livelihood-related infrastructure,  and  special  works  to  mitigate  extreme  weather events, in alignment with national development priorities.

The Act mandates decentralised and evidence-based planning through  Viksit  Gram  Panchayat  Plans,  which  are  aggregated  at Block, District, and State levels and integrated with geospatial and convergence-based planning systems. Within this planning framework, climate resilience and adaptation are embedded as core

priorities.  Permissible  and  priority  categories  of  works  include water conservation, watershed development, groundwater recharge,  afforestation,  source  sustainability,  flood  and  drought mitigation  measures,  and  restoration  and  strengthening  of  natural resource  assets.  The  Schedule  to  the  Act  further  provides  a dedicated  thematic  area  of  works  related  to  'Special  works  to mitigate Extreme Weather Events and Disaster Preparedness,' with an explicit focus on disaster risk reduction, climate adaptation, and protection  of  rural  communities  and  assets  from  floods,  cyclones, storms, droughts, landslides, forest fires, and other extreme weather events.

Illustrative works under this category include construction of cyclone shelters, flood shelters, and multipurpose disaster-resilient structures;  diversion  channels,  embankments,  and  other  disastermitigation  works;  stabilising  ponds  and  water  structures  for  flood management;  post-disaster  rehabilitation  and  restoration  of  rural roads and community assets; windbreak and shelterbelt plantations; and  forest  fire  management  works  such  as  fire  breaks  and  fuel buffer  zones.  The  intended  outcome  of  these  provisions  is  the creation of climate-resilient villages capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions.

Further, the Act also provides enabling provisions for operational relaxations during natural calamities and extraordinary circumstances, empowering the Central Government to allow temporary expansion of permissible works, relaxed documentation norms, and enhanced wage employment support to affected households to ensure timely response and recovery. These provisions  collectively  establish  climate  mitigation  and  adaptation as a built-in statutory component of planning and works under the Act.

Here it is stated that under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS also, Ministry had undertaken a series of policy, programmatic and operational  measures to  align  rural  employment  generation  and durable  asset  creation  with  climate  resilience  and  adaptation, particularly in the context of increasing frequency and intensity of climate extremes.

Category-wise works taken up under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the current financial year 2025-26 (as on 28.01.2026) under the categories aligned with climate adaptation and natural resource management is as under:

| Details of categories of works related to climate under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during FY 2025-26 (as on 28th Jan 2026)   | Details of categories of works related to climate under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during FY 2025-26 (as on 28th Jan 2026)   | Details of categories of works related to climate under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during FY 2025-26 (as on 28th Jan 2026)   | Details of categories of works related to climate under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during FY 2025-26 (as on 28th Jan 2026)   | Details of categories of works related to climate under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during FY 2025-26 (as on 28th Jan 2026)   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Name of the Categories                                                                                                 | Completed                                                                                                              | Completed                                                                                                              | Ongoing                                                                                                                | Ongoing                                                                                                                |
| Name of the Categories                                                                                                 | Number of works Expenditure (in                                                                                        | Rs lakh)                                                                                                               | Number of works                                                                                                        | Expenditure (in Rs lakh)                                                                                               |
| Drought Proofing (community plantation)                                                                                | 1,99,331                                                                                                               | 36,373.25                                                                                                              | 10,79,956                                                                                                              | 3,08,702.74                                                                                                            |
| Flood Control and Protection                                                                                           | 66,800                                                                                                                 | 44,031.42                                                                                                              | 2,70,011                                                                                                               | 1,76,353.02                                                                                                            |
| Land Development                                                                                                       | 2,73,350                                                                                                               | 1,02,702.71                                                                                                            | 5,64,718                                                                                                               | 3,16,397.14                                                                                                            |
| Micro Irrigation Works                                                                                                 | 2,07,010                                                                                                               | 1,61,120.87                                                                                                            | 6,66,951                                                                                                               | 6,31,302.70                                                                                                            |
| Renovation of traditional water bodies                                                                                 | 43,589                                                                                                                 | 43,910.32                                                                                                              | 1,66,362                                                                                                               | 2,75,208.14                                                                                                            |
| Water Conservation and Water Harvesting                                                                                | 2,25,746                                                                                                               | 1,61,028.02                                                                                                            | 7,46,640                                                                                                               | 8,02,179.74                                                                                                            |

- (b): Details  of  the  total  expenditure  incurred  on  various  schemes being  implemented  by  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  during  the financial  years  2022-23  to  2025-26  (as  on  28.01.2026)  are  given below:

| Financial Year             |   Total Expenditure (Rs. in crore) |
|----------------------------|------------------------------------|
| 2022-23                    |                             177102 |
| 2023-24                    |                             150065 |
| 2024-25                    |                             172210 |
| 2025-26 (as on 28.01.2026) |                             106070 |

Through these schemes Ministry is helping in providing employment and  livelihood  opportunities  to  needy  rural  households  as  well  as holistic development of rural areas of the country:

- i) Through Mahatma  Gandhi NREGS  in addition to providing guaranteed wage employment of 100 days, large number of durable assets are also being created. It also works as a safety net during periods of economic or climatic distress.
2. ii)  Under  Pradhan  MantriAwaasYojana  (Gramin)  houses  are  being constructed for the needy rural population.
3. iii)  Under  Pradhan  Mantri  Gram  SadakYojana  roads  are  being constructed to connect rural habitation.

iv) National Rural livelihood Mission promotes self-employment and livelihood opportunities through Self-Help Groups. v) DeendayalUpadhyayGraminKaushalYojana supports the economic transformation of rural poor households through skill development. vi)  National  Social  Assistance  Programme  (NSAP)  provides  social security pensions to the elderly, widows, and persons with disabilities.

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