Rural jobs scheme gets more cash

The government has pumped massive funds into the rural jobs guarantee programme, widely believed to be one of the ruling coalition’s main vote-getters, reports Aurangzeb Naqshbandi.

The government has pumped massive funds into the rural jobs guarantee programme, widely believed to be one of the ruling coalition’s main vote-getters.

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The Congress-led UPA government has increased the allocation for its flagship National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme from Rs 16,000 crore to Rs 39,100 crore, a 144 per cent increase from last year.

The NREGA, which guarantees 100 days of work a year to every rural household was a central point of the Congress election campaign.

“NREGA helped the Congress in identifying itself with aam admi (common man) and marginalised section of the society,” party spokesperson Manish Tiwari told HT.