Reduced by 34%, five months to go, 90% NREGA budget used up: Advocacy group

By A Representative
The rural jobs advocacy group, People's Action for Employment Guarantee (PAEG), has taken strong exception to the Government of India reducing the total budget for implementing schemes under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) in the FY 2021-22, which “is 34% less than the budget for the previous year, even though the effects of Covid-19 have not abated.”
Pointing out that almost 90% of the allocated budget for the current financial year has been “used up till now, with five months of the programme still remaining”, releasing its new NREGA tracker on wage payments, it particularly noted, “The remaining funds can cover at most 13 days of employment per household for the rest of the year.”
The PAEG tracker is an attempt to monitor NREGA performance by making some key data available in an accessible manner. It is based on publicly available data from the NREGA Management Information System (MIS). Through this effort, it hopes to generate public interest in monitoring it, prompt further reporting and organise workers to demand and access their entitlements.
The sharp reduction in NREGA budget comes, according to PAEG, at a time when the number of persons seeking jobs under the scheme has been going up each year. Thus, “A total of 7.75 crore households were provided work in the financial year (FY) 2020-21. This is an increase of over 41% from the number of households provided with work in 2019-20.”
It added, “In 2020-21, a total of 389 crore persondays of work was generated, an increase of more than 53% compared to the previous year”, yet, it complained, “In the FY 2021-22 the Central government has reduced NREGA budget allocation despite the evident importance of NREGA during the first wave and the devastating economic impact of the second wave.”
Suggesting poor management of NREGA funds, PAEG said, “Around 24% of the total allocated budget for the FY 2021-22 is being spent to clear pending payments of last year”, noting, in the current financial year many rural workers are unable to get jobs under NREGA, even though they demand for it.

The remaining funds can cover at most 13 days of employment per household for the rest of the current financial year

Thus, while data suggest that “198.33 crore persondays of work have been generated in the first half of this FY”, which is “a decrease of around 26% when compared to the same period of last year”, the fact is, “Out of the total persondays of employment that were projected to be generated, only 91% has been generated”. Also, “13% of the total households that demanded employment did not get employment.”
Futher, according to PAEG, “Out of the total households employed under NREGA, only around 6% of households were employed for 81-99 days whereas only around 2% were completed 100 days”, adding, “For the first six months of the year, around 15% of total payments are pending to be paid by the Government of India.”
Interestingly, NREGA mismanagement has been happening “even though the Ministry of Rural Development and State Governments report that social audits are happening on the ground, concurrent social audit reports are still not available in the public domain in violation of the Auditing Standards of Social Audit as laid down by the Comptroller and Auditor Genernal of India”, said PAEG.

Comments

Grueling summer ahead: Cuttack’s alarming health trends and what they mean for Odisha

By Sudhansu R Das The preparation to face the summer should begin early in Odisha. People in the state endure long, grueling summer months starting from mid-February and extending until the end of October. This prolonged heat adversely affects productivity, causes deaths and diseases, and impacts agriculture, tourism and the unorganized sector. The social, economic and cultural life of the state remains severely disrupted during the peak heat months.

Stronger India–Russia partnership highlights a missed energy breakthrough

By N.S. Venkataraman* The recent visit of Russian President Vladimir Putin to India was widely publicized across several countries and has attracted significant global attention. The warmth with which Mr. Putin was received by Prime Minister Narendra Modi was particularly noted, prompting policy planners worldwide to examine the implications of this cordial relationship for the global economy and political climate. India–Russia relations have stood on a strong foundation for decades and have consistently withstood geopolitical shifts. This is in marked contrast to India’s ties with the United States, which have experienced fluctuations under different U.S. administrations.

From natural farming to fair prices: Young entrepreneurs show a new path

By Bharat Dogra There have been frequent debates on agro-business companies not showing adequate concern for the livelihoods of small farmers. Farmers’ unions have often protested—generally with good reason—that while they do not receive fair returns despite high risks and hard work, corporate interests that merely process the crops produced by farmers earn disproportionately high profits. Hence, there is a growing demand for alternative models of agro-business development that demonstrate genuine commitment to protecting farmer livelihoods.

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

The Vande Mataram debate and the politics of manufactured controversy

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The recent Vande Mataram debate in Parliament was never meant to foster genuine dialogue. Each political party spoke past the other, addressing its own constituency, ensuring that clips went viral rather than contributing to meaningful deliberation. The objective was clear: to construct a Hindutva narrative ahead of the Bengal elections. Predictably, the Lok Sabha will likely expunge the opposition’s “controversial” remarks while retaining blatant inaccuracies voiced by ministers and ruling-party members. The BJP has mastered the art of inserting distortions into parliamentary records to provide them with a veneer of historical legitimacy.

Why India must urgently strengthen its policies for an ageing population

By Bharat Dogra A quiet but far-reaching demographic transformation is reshaping much of the world. As life expectancy rises and birth rates fall, societies are witnessing a rapid increase in the proportion of older people. This shift has profound implications for public policy, and the need to strengthen frameworks for healthy and secure ageing has never been more urgent. India is among the countries where these pressures will intensify most sharply in the coming decades.

Thota Sitaramaiah: An internal pillar of an underground organisation

By Harsh Thakor* Thota Sitaramaiah was regarded within his circles as an example of the many individuals whose work in various underground movements remained largely unknown to the wider public. While some leaders become visible through organisational roles or media attention, many others contribute quietly, without public recognition. Sitaramaiah was considered one such figure. He passed away on December 8, 2025, at the age of 65.

School job scam and the future of university degree holders in West Bengal

By Harasankar Adhikari The school recruitment controversy in West Bengal has emerged as one of the most serious governance challenges in recent years, raising concerns about transparency, institutional accountability, and the broader impact on society. Allegations that school jobs were obtained through irregular means have led to prolonged legal scrutiny, involving both the Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court of India. In one instance, a panel for high school teacher recruitment was ultimately cancelled after several years of service, following extended judicial proceedings and debate.

Concerns raised over move to rename MGNREGA, critics call it politically motivated

By A Representative Concerns have been raised over the Union government’s reported move to rename the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with critics describing it as a politically motivated step rather than an administrative reform. They argue that the proposed change undermines the legacy of Mahatma Gandhi and seeks to appropriate credit for a programme whose relevance has been repeatedly demonstrated, particularly during times of crisis.

Search This Blog