In the Union Budget 2023-24, Rs 1,57,545 crore has been allocated to the Ministry of Rural Development, which is about 13 percent less than the estimated expenditure by the Ministry in the current financial year.
Allocations for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (MNREGA) have also been cut by about one-third.
Initially Rs 1,35,944.29 crore was allocated to the Ministry of Rural Development for 2022-23, according to the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday.
However, as per the Revised Estimates, which is a mid-year review of likely expenditure, it has increased to Rs 1,81,121 crore.
The actual expenditure of the Ministry of Rural Development in the year 2021-22 was Rs 1,60,433.4 crore.
MGNREGA has been allocated Rs 60,000 crore for 2023-24, which is about 32 per cent lower than the revised estimate for the previous fiscal.
In the financial year 2022-23, the government had allocated Rs 73,000 crore for MGNREGA in the budget, while the expenditure according to the revised estimate was Rs 89,400 crore
Several Opposition parties have criticised the reduction in the allocation of funds for the scheme.
