New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Sunday announced that the government will allocate an additional Rs 40,000 crore for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) amid the COVID-19 crisis.
Elaborating on Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s stimulus package of Rs 20 lakh crore under Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, the minister said that the budget estimate of MGNREGA now stands at Rs 61,000 crore.
Since many migrant workers are returning to their home states, the move will generate 300 crore more person-days of work to ease the problem of unemployment during monsoon.
The infusion of additional funds will also boost the rural economy with improved production and create more durable and livelihood assets, the minister said.
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