Over 309 crore person-days of employment generated under MGNREGS in FY 2023-24

New Delhi, Jul 30 (PTI) More than 309 crore person-days of employment were generated under the MGNREGS in the 2023-24 fiscal, Union Minister of State for Rural Development Kamlesh Paswan informed the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

In a written reply, Paswan said 293.70 crore person-days of employment were generated in the 2022-23 financial year and 389.09 crore person-days in 2020-21, during the peak impact of COVID-19.

During 2023-24, some states such as Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh faced a drought situation, which also contributed to the generation of higher person-days, the minister said.

"Hence, it may not be appropriate to link the higher generation of person-days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the financial year 2023-24 with the overall employment situation in the country," he added.

In a written reply to another question, Union Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said 52.09 person-days of employment on an average was provided per household under the scheme in 2023-24.

The average days of employment provided per household under the scheme was 47.83 in 2022-23, 50.07 in 2021-22, and 51.53 in 2020-21.

There is also no plan to increase the minimum guaranteed days in a year to workers under the scheme, he said. PTI AO SZM