Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has said that the Centre’s contribution under the Viksit Bharat: GRAM G scheme has been raised to nearly 95 thousand crore rupees as compared to MGNREGA, which was 86 thousand crore rupees. Shivraj Singh Chouhan said, this highlights the government’s sustained and enhanced support for rural employment.
In an article in an English daily, Mr Chouhan said, the President has assented to the Viksit Bharat – Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, enhancing the statutory wage employment guarantee to 125 days. He said, under the scheme, states are treated not as mere implementing agencies but as partners in development, empowered to notify and operationalise their own schemes within the statutory framework.
The Minister highlighted that under MGNREGA, the UPA government had spent only two lakh 13 thousand crore rupees, while the Narendra Modi government spent over eight lakh 53 thousand crore rupees. Mr Chouhan said the budgetary allocations have also been increased from 33 thousand crore rupees in 2013-14 to 86 thousand crore rupees in 2024-25.
He noted that the women’s participation rose from 48 per cent to around 57 per cent. The Minister said the Comptroller and Auditor General’s report -2013 revealed the true state of MGNREGA under the UPA government, which highlighted widespread corruption and mismanagement. He said the report pointed to more than 4.33 lakh fake job cards, losses of thousands of crores due to unaccounted withdrawals and irregular works, delayed or denied wages across 23 States.
