Boost to rural employment with 4.45 Cr person-days in 2025-26
STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: The Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India, has approved a revised Labour Budget of 4.45 crore person-days for Jammu and Kashmir under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), aligned with the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) [VB-G RAM G], for the financial year 2025-26.
The approval follows a proposal submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development Department seeking an upward revision of the Labour Budget to address the increased demand for wage employment, particularly in flood-affected, far-flung and vulnerable rural areas, and to strengthen livelihood security across the Union Territory.
In this connection, the Ministry of Rural Development convened a meeting of the Empowered Committee, chaired by Secretary, Rural Development, MoRD, Shailesh Kumar Singh, through virtual mode. The meeting was attended by Rohini R. Bhajibhakare, Joint Secretary, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, Secretary Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RD&PR), Mohammad Aijaz Asad, and Additional Secretary, RD&PR, Waseem Raja.
The Committee examined the proposal in detail, keeping in view rising employment demand, post-flood recovery needs, and the necessity of ensuring uninterrupted implementation of MGNREGA works across all districts of Jammu and Kashmir. The revised Labour Budget is aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods, ensuring timely wage payments, and facilitating smooth execution of ongoing and proposed development works.
As per official communication, the Ministry has also sanctioned an additional 50 days of employment for 1,962 flood-affected Gram Panchayats in the Union Territory under the permissible provisions of MGNREGA, providing critical livelihood support to households impacted by recent floods.
Officials stated that analysis of employment trends over the last five financial years indicates an average annual generation of 381 lakh persondays. Further, a comparative assessment of employment generation during the last four months of the previous five financial years, vis-à-vis the anticipated demand in the remaining four months of the current financial year, points to a requirement of nearly 195 lakh persondays to meet the growing demand.
In view of this enhanced requirement, the Labour Budget has been revised to ensure continuity of wage payments and uninterrupted execution of development works. Accordingly, the agreed Labour Budget has been enhanced from 250 lakh persondays to 445 lakh persondays, against the current achievement of 287 lakh persondays.
The revised Labour Budget for FY 2025-26 aims to generate 4.45 crore persondays of employment. Labour budgets and shelves of projects for each Gram Panchayat were approved and uploaded on NREGAsoft prior to the commencement of the financial year, in alignment with the respective Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs).
Secretary, RDD, Mohammad Aijaz Asad, stated that 2.24 lakh works have been identified under the Annual Action Plan, including special plans approved from September onwards for the restoration of assets damaged during recent floods. He added that over 60 per cent of the projects, in terms of cost, pertain to agriculture and allied sectors, aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods and creating durable community assets.
He further informed that 8,239 projects have been identified under the UT Convergence Plan, involving coordination with 19 departments and allied rural development schemes, to ensure optimal utilisation of resources.
Expressing gratitude to the Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India, on behalf of the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir, Aijaz Asad said that the revised Labour Budget is critical for ensuring adequate fund flow under the wage component and for enabling smooth, transparent and effective implementation of MGNREGA (VB-G RAM G) across Jammu and Kashmir.