Centre releases Rs 23k crore for MGNREGS
NEW DELHI:The Centre has released Rs 23,443 crore to the states under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) as part of the its early spending push. Funds released would be used to undertake priority work under water conservation measures.
The amount released also includes all pending liabilities as on March 31, 2017. The government had allocated Rs 48,000 crore to MGNREGS in this year's budget.
It has also declared drought in eight states, allowing them to offer 50 days of extra manual work under MGNREGS in 2017-18.
These states have been asked to take up water conservation and drought proofing projects under MGNREGS. "All states have been advised to ensure that such works are taken up wherever required with appropriate technical and scientific scrutiny," a press statement by the rural development ministry said. States have also been asked to ensure that 65% expenditure under MGNREGS is on Natural Resource Management activities.
India faced two back-to-back drought years before it got a healthy monsoon in 2016, though some parts of the country still got below-normal rains.
Private weather forecaster Skymet predicts a below-normal monsoon this year as well, even as some global weather watchers see the emergence of El Niño conditions by July. El Niño is often associated with poor monsoon in India, a country where the four-month season delivers nearly 70% of the annual rains. A sudden rise in temperature across various parts of the country since mid-March has already sparked concerns of an impending water crisis.
The amount released also includes all pending liabilities as on March 31, 2017. The government had allocated Rs 48,000 crore to MGNREGS in this year's budget.
It has also declared drought in eight states, allowing them to offer 50 days of extra manual work under MGNREGS in 2017-18.
These states have been asked to take up water conservation and drought proofing projects under MGNREGS. "All states have been advised to ensure that such works are taken up wherever required with appropriate technical and scientific scrutiny," a press statement by the rural development ministry said. States have also been asked to ensure that 65% expenditure under MGNREGS is on Natural Resource Management activities.
India faced two back-to-back drought years before it got a healthy monsoon in 2016, though some parts of the country still got below-normal rains.
Private weather forecaster Skymet predicts a below-normal monsoon this year as well, even as some global weather watchers see the emergence of El Niño conditions by July. El Niño is often associated with poor monsoon in India, a country where the four-month season delivers nearly 70% of the annual rains. A sudden rise in temperature across various parts of the country since mid-March has already sparked concerns of an impending water crisis.
