A total of Rs 3,545.34 crores have been sanctioned in 2020-21 for payment of wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).
The Indian government sanctioned Rs 3,354 crores in 2020-21. At the same time, Rs 191 crores was sanctioned by the Chhattisgarh government for payment of wages for 50 additional days of employment under MNREGA.
Since April 1, 2020, wages worth Rs 3,496.74 crores have been paid to the MNREGA workers. In the last financial year, the state sanctioned the highest amount under the head of wages ever since MNREGA came into existence in 2006-07.
During the last financial year, works under MNREGA were conducted on a large scale to ensure adequate employment opportunities in villages and to provide employment to migrant labourers who returned to the state from other cities during the Covid crisis.
Increased number of employment days under MNREGA has not only given means of livelihood to the rural workers but also empowered the rural economy, an official statement said on Thursday.
