Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the Centre released an interim allocation of Rs 95,692 crore to states and Union Territories on Tuesday in addition to the Rs 30,000 crore already allocated under MGNREGA, taking the total outlay past the Rs 1.25 lakh crore mark.
Chairing a meeting of Rural Development Ministers of states regarding the implementation of 'Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin)', Union Minister Chouhan added that this amount will reach nearly 2.8 lakh gram panchayats across the country, ensuring that each panchayat receives funds worth several lakhs of rupees.
He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Centre has announced a comprehensive financial and policy initiative to provide fresh momentum to rural employment, workers' security and the overall development of villages.
Speaking to the Ministers from states and Union Territories through video conferencing, Union Minister Chouhan added that the historic new arrangement coming into effect from July 1, should ensure a completely smooth, worker-centric transition without any disruption.
He stressed that the funds should be utilised for development works identified under the provisions of the VB-GRAM-G Act so that employment generation and the creation of rural assets are both ensured. Union Minister Chouhan said that the Central government is not only providing funds but also wants to ensure timely wage payments, protection of workers' rights and uninterrupted development works.
He urged states to accord advance approvals to an adequate number of works so that implementation can begin at a fast pace from July 1 itself. Speaking on digital and administrative preparedness, Union Minister Chouhan said that many states have made remarkable progress in processes such as direct benefit transfer (DBT), SMS-based information systems, e-KYC and face authentication, which indicate successful implementation of the new arrangement.
The Union Minister told that 26 states have already made budgetary provisions keeping in mind the objective of 'Viksit Bharat – Gramin Bharat', while Jharkhand, Karnataka, Telangana and Mizoram have been urged to complete the process at the earliest.
He also said that he would personally write to the Chief Ministers of these states. Appreciating Mizoram, Puducherry and Andhra Pradesh for issuing notifications, Union Minister Chouhan urged other states to expedite the process. He also directed states to notify agricultural peak seasons, ensure 100 per cent e-KYC and organise capacity-building and awareness programmes at district and block levels.
Union Minister Chouhan said that works will be selected through gram panchayats and gram sabhas and finalised on the basis of these proposals. He also directed that there should be no reduction or disruption in employment generation and wage payments under MGNREGA till July 1.
During the meeting, Union Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan announced interim allocations for various states. The allocations are as follows -- Andhra Pradesh (Rs 7,707.21 crore), Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 560.70 crore), Assam (Rs 1,929.24 crore), Bihar (Rs 6,715.83 crore), Chhattisgarh (Rs 3,354.85 crore), Goa (Rs 3.70 crore), Gujarat (Rs 1,540.54 crore), Haryana (Rs 590.23 crore), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 1,201.78 crore), Jharkhand (Rs 2,705.64 crore), Karnataka (Rs 5,709.09 crore), Kerala (Rs 3,136.44 crore), Madhya Pradesh (Rs 6,252.03 crore), Maharashtra (Rs 4,420.32 crore), Manipur (Rs 581.99 crore), Meghalaya (Rs 1,155.09 crore), Mizoram (Rs 611.65 crore), Nagaland (Rs 287.85 crore), Odisha (Rs 3,763.80 crore) and Punjab (Rs 1,331.61 crore).
Similarly, allocations have been made for Rajasthan (Rs 7,581.87 crore), Sikkim (Rs 97.57 crore), Tamil Nadu (Rs 7,957.57 crore), Telangana (Rs 4,229.74 crore), Tripura (Rs 1,041.07 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 12,221.48 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 626.43 crore) and West Bengal (Rs 8,508.00 crore), taking the total allocation for states to Rs 92,550.17 crore.
Among Union Territories, Puducherry has been allocated Rs 40.56 crore, Jammu and Kashmir (Rs 1,151.02 crore), Andaman and Nicobar Islands (Rs 4.44 crore), Ladakh (Rs 85.98 crore), Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu (Rs 9.02 crore) and Lakshadweep (Rs 0.32 crore), taking the total allocation for Union Territories to Rs 1,291.32 crore.
"In addition to this provision for states and Union Territories, Rs 1,850.62 crore has been earmarked for Central administration and social audit, taking the total interim allocation to Rs 95,692.31 crore which is aimed at accelerating regional development," the Union Minister added.