Odisha Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari (Photo | EPS)
BHUBANESWAR: With distress migration remaining a major challenge, the state government has set aside Rs 500 crore to support Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
Making an announcement in this regard, Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari in his budget speech said the state government has proposed to provide additional 100 days of wage employment to rural households under MGNREGA to stop distress migration in affected blocks.
“We have also enhanced MGNREGA wages at par with minimum wages in these blocks by providing a top-up of about Rs 100 per day from the state’s resources. For arresting distress migration, we are implementing a scheme state support to MGNREGS for which Rs 500 crore has been allocated,” the Minister said.
MGNREGA provides livelihood security with at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to rural households. The material component is shared between the centre and state in the ratio of 75:25 for which the Odisha government in its budget for 2023-24 has proposed to provide Rs 1,800 crore.
Besides, to provide assured wage employment to the rural population, a corpus fund of Rs 1,000 crore has also been proposed in the budget to facilitate timely payment of wages under MGNREGA pending receipt of central assistance for the wage component. To provide wage and create resilient community assets in urban areas, an outlay of Rs 414 crore has also been made under Urban Wage Employment Programme Mukhyamantri Karma Tatpara Abhiyan (MUKTA) for the year 2023-24.
