There are a total of 14.37 crore active beneficiaries under the government’s employment guarantee scheme, NREGA, government data show.
A beneficiary who has worked during the last three financial years is called an active beneficiary under the NREGA. If an adult member of a household of the rural area does not demand work in the last three financial years, that member will not be in the list of active beneficiaries.
According to a written reply submitted by minister of rural development Giriraj Singh in the Lok Sabha, there has been an increase in the number of person-days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme compared to last year.
A total of 221.60 crore person-days were generated as on November 30, 2023, under the demand-driven scheme, the minister informed. This was more than the person-days generated during the same period in the last financial year, (208.74 crore person-days).
In another response in the Rajya Sabha, Union minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said that financial allocation of Rs 60,000 crore was made for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme for the financial year 2023-24 at the Budget Estimate (BE) stage. An amount of Rs 10, 000 crore has also been provided by the finance ministry as an advance from the Contingency Fund of India.
NREGA fund allocation in the past
(Rs in crore)
| Year | Budget Estimate | Revised Estimate | Release |
| 2018-19 | 55,000.00 | 61,830.09 | 61,829.55 |
| 2019-20 | 60,000.00 | 71,001.81 | 71,687.71 |
| 2020-21 | 61,500.00 | 1,11,500.00 | 1,11,170.86 |
| 2021-22 | 73,000.00 | 98,000.00 | 98,467.84 |
| 2022-23 | 73,000.00 | 89,400.00 | 90,810.99 |
Source: Ministry of rural development
“Release of funds to the state of West Bengal has been stopped as per provision of Section 27 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, due to non-compliance of directives of the Central Government. Rs 5,553 crore is the pending liability under wage and material components for the state government of West Bengal,” Jyoti said in her statement.
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An alumna of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication, Dhenkanal, Sunita Mishra brings over 16 years of expertise to the fields of legal matters, financial insights, and property market trends. Recognised for her ability to elucidate complex topics, her articles serve as a go-to resource for home buyers navigating intricate subjects. Through her extensive career, she has been associated with esteemed organisations like the Financial Express, Hindustan Times, Network18, All India Radio, and Business Standard.
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