Under attack for not increasing Budget allocation for the rural employment gurantee MGNREGA programme, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Thursday said MGNREGA is a demand driven programme and if the demand under the scheme increases, the govt will aloocate money through supplementary demands for grants.
Many of the Opposition members during the discussion on the Budget, said the government has reduced allocation on MGNREGA. Some said the Budget speech did not even mention MGNREGA, and at this rate, the scheme will come to a standstill.
The Budget allocated Rs 73,000 crore for MGNREGA for 2022-23.
Replying to the discussion on the Budget in the Lok Sabha, the finance minister said Congress brought reforms under compulsion. It never cared for macroeconomic health. She said there was double-digit inflation during the Congress regime and that the current government is responding to the inflation situation despte pandemic.
On her government's reforms, she said 44 unicorns have been identified in this country. They have created wealth. They showcase India's talent and innovation. This has happened between 2020 and 2021.
The finance minister said that 44.58 crore accounts under Jan Dhan Yojana with Rs 1.57 lakh crore worth of deposits were opened in the financial year 2021-2022.
She countered the lawmakers on all other issues such as health, rural development and education, saying the government has not reduced allocations on any of them.
On the MSME sector which is the backbone of India's manufacturing sector, she said Rs 4.5 lakh cr has been given as collateral free loans.
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(Published 10 February 2022, 15:06 IST)
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