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The Central Government's presentation of the interim budget demonstrates a thoughtful consideration for farmers. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has unveiled significant measures for the rural sector in the 2024 budget. Notably, there is a substantial boost in the budget for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, reaching 26 thousand crores. This decision, announced by the Central Government, signifies a remarkable increase of 26 thousand crores compared to the previous budget.
During the Wednesday presentation of the interim budget for 2024, there was a notable announcement of an augmented budget for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. In Parliament, the Finance Minister declared an increase in the allocation for MGNREGA from 60 thousand crores to an impressive 86 thousand crores. In contrast, the preceding budget presented on February 1, 2023, had earmarked 60 thousand crores for the MGNREGA scheme.
A crucial aspect of the MGNREGA scheme is the Aadhar-based payment system (ABPS) for rural laborers. The Central Government had directed all state governments to facilitate the direct payment of wages to the accounts of MGNREGA laborers through this system. However, by the first week of January 2024, nearly 5 crore laborers had not yet been linked to ABPS. This discrepancy resulted in dissatisfaction among the laborers, prompting expressions of discontent from labor organizations.
According to statistics from the Ministry of Rural Development, a total of 25.94 crore laborers are registered under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Out of these, 14.35 crores are actively engaged in labor, having worked at least one day in the past three years. The exclusion of an additional 5 crore MGNREGA laborers from the ABPS system raised significant concerns for the government, particularly in light of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
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