Economists, researchers, and workers on the ground are worried that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme is facing a severe fund crisis. 99% of the money allocated already exhausted three months before the end of the financial year, and 11 States and Union Territories having a negative net balance. The MGNREGA scheme’s financial statement showed that the total availability of funds was Rs.59,032 crore. The total expenditure, including payment due, stands at Rs.58,701 crore. It leaves a slim margin of only Rs.331 crore. For 11 States, that margin is non-existent, as their accounts are already in the red. MGNREGA scheme: ♦ Enacted by: Parliament of India ♦ Introduced by: Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Minister of Rural Development ♦ Launched by: 2 Feb 2006 ♦ Mission: To guarantee the 'right to work' ♦ It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work ♦ It also aims to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, and wells)
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