What are the implications of the cuts in allocation to MGNREGA in the Union Budget? | In Focus podcast
b'The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) promises 100 days of wage-based employment every year to rural households across the country. As per independent reports, demand for work under this scheme has been increasing. But in the 2023-24 Union Budget, the government has slashed allocation for this scheme to \\u20b961,032.65 crore, which is 30% less than the revised estimate of \\u20b9 89,154.65 crore for 2022-23. This is the lowest ever allocation as a percentage of the GDP, at less than 0.2%.\\nThis is the second straight cut, as in the 2022-23 budget also the allocation was reduced by 25%. So, what are the government\\u2019s justifications for these budget cuts? How do they relate to ground realities? Is there a danger of demand suppression through insufficient budgeting, as claimed by MGNREGA advocates?'