MNREGA wage rates: Before the Lok Sabha elections, the central government has taken a big decision. The Narendra Modi government at the Center has given a big gift to the laborers working under the 'Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme' (MNREGA). Before the next Lok Sabha elections (Lok Sabha elections 2024), the government has made a big announcement by increasing the wage rate of MNREGA workers from 3 to 10 percent. In other words, now MNREGA workers will get more money. Information in this regard has been issued by issuing a notification today.
New rates will be applicable from April 1
The increase in pay rates will be implemented by the PM Modi-led central government from April 1, 2024, for the financial year 2023-25, i.e. for the Lok Sabha elections. If we look at the government notification, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have seen the lowest salary increase of 3%, while Goa has seen the highest increase of 10.6%. While in Goa the wage rate has been increased by Rs 34 per day, in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand the wage rate has been increased by Rs 7 per day.
It started in the year 2005
MNREGA program was started in the year 2005 by the Ministry of Rural Development. It is an employment guarantee scheme and under it the government decides the minimum wages at which people are hired in rural areas. This includes work ranging from digging ponds, digging pits to making drains. It guarantees 100 days of employment in a year.
The announcement was made during the budget
During the interim budget of the Narendra Modi government presented in the Parliament on February 1, 2024, the government had announced to increase the budget of MNREGA. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman during her speech said that the budget estimate of MNREGA for the financial year 2024-25 has been increased to Rs 86,000 crore, earlier the budget estimate of MNREGA for the financial year 2023-24 was Rs 60,000 crore.
Similar increase in other states also
Apart from this, the wage rate in West Bengal has been increased by 5.5% and workers here will now get Rs 237 to Rs 250 per day. The highest rate of NREGS wages (Rs 374 per day) has been fixed for Haryana. Whereas the lowest rate of Rs 234 per day has been fixed for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, states which share the same wage rate under NREGS, have increased the rate by about 10% and the labor wages here have been increased to Rs 243 per day from the current Rs 221. Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have also seen a 10% increase in NREGS wages.
What did TMC MP Saket Gokhale say?
TMC leader Saket Gokhale said on the government's decision that it is shameful and shocking that in the wage revision announced today for MNREGA, the Modi government has increased the wages for workers in Bengal by only 5%. In comparison, the increase made in other states is very big. He said that after withholding outstanding MNREGA wages worth over Rs 7000 crore, the anti-Bengal BJP has again resorted to targeting the people of West Bengal by punishing them with 5% wage hike, while it is up to 10% in BJP ruled states. Wages have been received. increase. This is another example of BJP's hatred towards Bengal.