The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act offers up to 100 days’ paid, unskilled work annually to every rural household. (Shutterstock)Millions of rural job scheme workers may have their wages delayed in the new year with the programme coffers depleting and the finance ministry sitting on the demand for additional funds. Government officials said the rural development ministry had written to the finance ministry about three months ago demanding an additional Rs 20,000 crore, but had received no response. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act offers up to 100 days’ paid, unskilled work annually to every rural household. With the finance ministry silent, the rural development ministry is planning to divert funds from the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna --- a rural road connectivity programme --- to the rural job scheme.

Source: The Telegraph December 31, 2019 01:07 UTC