Union Budget 2021: Rs 73,000 crore allocated for MGNREGA

The Modi government had made an additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for MGNREGA in May last year

Migrant workers in queue to reach Odisha by Shramic special train at Palace grounds in Bengaluru on Sunday, 24 May 2020. Credit: PTI File Photo

Centre's flagship rural jobs scheme MGNREGA was allocated Rs 73,000 crore in the Union Budget, an increase of Rs 11,500 crore over the budget estimates of the previous fiscal.

However, the provisions for the next fiscal are Rs 38,500 crore less than the revised estimates for 2020-21 which have been pegged at Rs 1,11,500 crore.

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The Modi government had made an additional allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for MGNREGA under the Rs 20 lakh crore stimulus package announced in May last year.

This was done to address the rural distress due to the reverse migration of workers in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman proposed to extend SWAMITVA Scheme to all States and UTs. Earlier this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched SWAMITVA Scheme to bring transparency in property ownership in villages.

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Under the scheme, a record of rights is being given to property owners in villages. Up until now, about 1.80 lakh property owners in 1,241 villages have been provided SWAMITVA cards.

Sitharaman said the allocation to rural infrastructure development has been increased to Rs 40,000 crore for the next fiscal from Rs 30,000 crore in FY21.

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