Budget 2021: Centre allocates ₹73K cr to MGNREGA for next fiscal

The Centre has allocated ₹73,000 crore to the rural employment guarantee programme MGNREGA for the next fiscal 2021-22, substantially lower than the actual expenditure of ₹1.11 lakh crore in the current fiscal which included an additional ₹40,000 crore for the scheme given by the government in the wake of the pandemic's impact on the economy.

The Centre had allocated ₹40,000 crore to MGNREGA as part of the Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Yojana.

As per a detailed financial statement, the Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday has allocated ₹73,000 crore, over 34% less than the revised estimate of ₹1,11,500 crore for 2020-21. The budgetary estimate for 2020-21 was ₹61,500 crore.

For all other major flagship welfare schemes under the Rural Development Ministry, the allocation for the 2021-22 fiscal increased from the revised estimate for the current 2020-21 fiscal.

The allocation for the rural roads scheme -- Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana -- increased to ₹15,000 crore from ₹13,700 crore, whereas the funds allocated to the National Rural Livelihood Mission jumped by more than 48% to ₹13,677 crore from ₹9,210 crore in the period under review.

Talking about the budget, Union Rural Development Minister Narendra Tomar said it aims at making India a self-reliant nation.

In terms of budgetary allocation, there has been an increase of ₹11,500 crore in allocation to MGNREGA to ₹73,000 crore from ₹61,500 crore during the period under review.