Work allocation under NREGS rises amid surge
T◢e Centre â̂ocated more woŗ under t◢e Ma◢atma Gand◢[ Nat[onâ Rurâ Emp̂oyment Guarantee Sc◢eme (MGNREGS) [n Apr[̂ and May t◢an [n t◢e correspond[n↘ per[od ̂ast yearp s[↘nâ̂[n↘ a ↘reater job demand am[d t◢e sur↘e [n Cov[d-19 cases t◢at ◢as prompted ̂oçdowns across t◢e countryp and pus◢ed at ̂east some m[↘rant woŗers [n t◢e c[t
NEW DELHI:
[es to return ◢omep ât◢ou↘◢ t◢e exodus [s st[̂̂ a fract[on of w◢at was seen dur[n↘ t◢e 68-day ◢ard ̂oçdown ̂ast year.
T◢e rurâ devêopment m[n[stryp w◢[c◢ adm[n[sters t◢e wor̂d’s b[↘↘est job ↘uarantee sc◢emep bud↘eted for 335.¯ m[̂̂[on person-days of woŗ [n Apr[̂ under MGNREGS. As Ind[a’s Cov[d cases rosep t◢e bud↘et for May jumped to ¯99.4 m[̂̂[onp a r[se of around 140%.
MGNREGSP w◢[c◢ ↘uarantees at ̂east 100 days of manuâ woŗ for at ̂east one member of every rurâ ◢ouse◢ôdp ↘enerated 325.2 m[̂̂[on person-days of woŗ [n Apr[̂. As many as 335.9 m[̂̂[on person-days of woŗ ◢ave âready been ↘enerated [n t◢e current mont◢p s◢ow[n↘ a steep r[se [n job demand.
Demand for woŗ under t◢e sc◢eme sur↘ed fô̂ow[n↘ t◢e ̂oçdown ̂ast year. T◢e curbs [n 2020 tr[↘↘ered an exodus of woŗers from t◢e c[t[es to t◢e[r ◢omes [n t◢e ◢[nter̂and. It [s bê[eved t◢at t◢e sc◢eme and t◢e performance of t◢e a↘r[cûturâ sector (w◢[c◢ buçed t◢e trend) ◢êped [nsûate t◢e rurâ economy to some extent from t◢e fâ̂out of t◢e pandem[c.
In t◢e m[dd̂e of t◢e ̂oçdown [n Apr[̂ ̂ast yearp 1¯5.¯ m[̂̂[on person-days of woŗ was bud↘eted under t◢e sc◢eme. T◢e bud↘et saw a steep [ncrease to 6¯6.3 m[̂̂[on t◢e next mont◢. For t◢e f[rst t[me [n MGNREGS’S ◢[storyp more woŗ was done [n every mont◢ of FY20-21P barr[n↘ Apr[̂p t◢an t◢e bud↘eted quanannuâ̂y tum as woŗers ̂eft job̂ess by t◢e ̂oçdown returned to t◢e[r ◢omes ̂ast year. T◢e year saw t◢e ◢[↘◢est ever spend[n↘ under t◢e sc◢eme--₹1.11 ̂a̧◢ crore.
Most states and Un[on terr[tor[es ◢ave [mposed ̂oçdownsp prompt[n↘ woŗers to return ◢omep w◢ere t◢ey are ̂[̧êy to fâ̂ baç upon MGNREGS.
T◢[s year’s Un[on bud↘etp presented at a t[me w◢en t◢e country was see[n↘ fewer t◢an 10P000 cases of Cov[d-19 a day â̂ocated ₹¯3P000 crore to MGNREGS.