Slow-paced? Rural jobs scheme: Works down a quarter

The unfold of Covid-19 in rural areas will be the motive for this; however it’s also potential {that a} part of job seekers just isn’t conscious of the ‘work gives’ proven within the official information.

Simply 99.6 crore particular person days (day by day wage work) had been created in April-June this yr below the agricultural employment assure scheme (MG-NREGS), down 26% from the year-ago interval, in response to official information. Apparently, the federal government has turned extra economical on MG-NREGS spend this time round, whereas it was far more liberal in spending on the scheme in Might-June final yr following the April lock-down which hit individuals’s livelihood laborious.

There was a drop within the individuals who turned up for the work provided in April-June this yr – this quantity was 73% within the quarter, towards about 85% in FY20 and FY21. The unfold of Covid-19 in rural areas will be the motive for this; however it’s also potential {that a} part of job seekers just isn’t conscious of the ‘work gives’ proven within the official information.

Particular person days generated below MG-NREGS fell a pointy 56% on yr to twenty-eight.3 crore in June 2021. Round 57 crore particular person days of labor was generated in Might final yr which rose additional to 64 crore in June 2020 from a mean of twenty-two.1 crore/month in 2019-20. In Might this yr, 37.2 crore particular person days had been generated, the quantity was 34 crore in April.

Although the provision of labor below the scheme declined because the spurt seen within the Might-July interval final yr, the next stage of MG-NREGS work was maintained all through 2020-21, ensuing within the spike within the funds outlay for the scheme to Rs 1.11 lakh crore from Rs 61,500 crore initially estimated. The Price range outlay for the scheme in 2021-22 is Rs 73,000 crore.

Round 13.23 crore day by day work had been demanded below the scheme in April-June this yr in contrast with 13.77 crore in the identical interval final yr. Clearly, the demand decline, simply round 4%, just isn’t as sharp as the provision decline.