Himachal Pradesh Government Emphasizes Importance of MGNREGA in Rural Development

Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Minister Aniruddh Singh, while presiding over the meeting of the Himachal Pradesh State Employment Guarantee Council, said that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is playing an important role in strengthening the economy of rural areas by providing guaranteed employment opportunities in rural areas and in the development of villages by building infrastructure in these areas. He said that about 90 percent of the population of the state lives in rural areas and guaranteed employment of 100 working days in a year is provided under MNREGA. He informed that the state government has made a provision of additional twenty days of work under MNREGA, the entire expenditure on which is being borne by the state government. He informed that the state government has benefited the daily wage workers by increasing the MNREGA daily wage from Rs 240 to Rs 300 from April, 2024. During the meeting, the annual report for the financial year 2023-24 was approved and it was informed that more than 344 lakh working days were earned in Himachal Pradesh in the financial year 2023-24, out of which 64 percent working days were earned by women. In the financial year 2024-25, 144 lakh working days have been earned till July.

MGNREGA Plays Crucial Role in Rural Development and Employment in Himachal @anirudhsinghMLA pic.twitter.com/GN9FQCRoGB

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Since the implementation of MNREGA in the state, about 86 percent of the 11 lakh 71 thousand 739 works under it have been completed so far, while the remaining works are under construction. It was told in the meeting that more than Rs 1288 crore 24 lakh was spent under MNREGA in the financial year 2023-24. In the financial year 2024-25, about Rs 688 crore was spent till July and wages have been paid on time in more than 99 percent of the cases.

The Rural Development Minister said that the suggestions received by the Council would be effectively raised before the Central Government with a view to the welfare of the people and strengthening of Panchayati Raj institutions.