New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the general budget on 1 February 2022 on behalf of the Modi government. In the budget of this time, funds of many items were cut, while the financial allocation of some sectors has been increased. Fund cut in the field of rural employment has caught everyone’s attention. Actually, Nirmala Sitharaman has made a huge cut in the fund of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (MGNREGA-2005). In the budget presented for the financial year 2022-23, this item has been reduced by 25 percent as compared to the previous financial year. In the last financial year, Rs 98,000 crore was allocated for MGNREGA. In this year’s budget presented by Nirmala Sitharaman, only Rs 73,000 crore has been allocated for MNREGA.
In the financial year 2020-21, the total budget of MNREGA was more than Rs 1.1 trillion. Now the budget of the biggest source of employment in rural areas has reached Rs 73 thousand crores. It is believed that the impact of the fund cut may have an impact on employment generation in rural areas in the coming times. Let us inform you that during the Corona period, MNREGA remains a boon for rural areas. Thousands and lakhs of people are getting work under the Employment Act. Industrial sectors have been badly affected due to corona infection. Lakhs and crores of people had to return. At that time, under MNREGA, such people got employment in their village-house, so that they could be able to make their living.
