MGNREGS acting as a weapon against rural unemployment, says Union Minister

MGNREGS acting as a weapon against rural unemployment, says Union Minister

NEW DELHI (DipakTimes):- Union Minister of State for Rural Development Shri Pemmasani Chandrasekhar has called for building a ‘Viksit Gaon’ to achieve a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047. Addressing the first meeting of Performance Review Committee of the Rural Development Ministry in New Delhi today, the Minister said a ‘Viksit Gaon’ where every family having a pucca house with basic amenities, every village  connected by quality roads, every rural youth having employment opportunities and every woman empowered and financially independentis not a distant dream but an achievable reality, but it requires us to work with renewed energy, innovative thinking, and deep commitment. Emphasizing the role of the Rural Development Ministry in achieving this goal, the Minister said we are not just implementing the schemes, but writing the next chapter of India's growth story. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi and Cabinet Minister Shri Shivraj Singh Chouhan, we have made remarkable progress in rural development, the Minister said.

Elaborating on the achievements of various schemes of the Ministry, Shri Pemmasani has said that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is acting as a strong weapon against rural unemployment and distress migration, especially during agricultural lean seasons. With Rs.. 90,000 to Rs.. 1,00,000 Crore annual investment, it is resulted in the creation of durable and productive assets, over 250 Crore person-days are generated annually, and more than 36 crore job cards issued and over 15 crore workers remain active beneficiaries. The Minister has suggested shifting from wage payment to meaningful asset creation, adopting diversified work and its convergence with other development schemes, and also community participation in work selection.

Referring to the Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana – Gramin (PMAY-G), the Minister has informed that since its launch, more than 3.22 crore pucca houses have been built for rural families living in kutcha or dilapidated homes and a target of constructing 2 crore additional houses by 2029 has been set to meet the rising demand due to family growth and rural population expansion. The Minister has suggested the promotion of the use of eco-friendly and region-specific construction technologies and cost-effective housing designs.

Stating that over 7.56 lakh kilometres of rural roads have been constructed till date under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), the Minister has suggested the establishment of state-level road maintenance funds, implementation of community-based monitoring systems, and developing innovative financing models for sustainability.  The Minister said the DAY-NRLM has emerged as a powerful instrument of social and economic empowerment, with over 10.05 crore rural women formed into 91 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs), and the cumulative bank linkage has crossed Rs 11 lakh crore. Under the Lakhpati Didi Initiative, 1.5 crore women are already enabled to earn more than Rs One lakh annually, against a target of 3 crore women, the Minister said. The Minister has emphasized the need to empower “Lakhpati Didis” further through targeted credit, advanced skills, and market-ready support. The DDU-GKY, a skill and placement programme, has trained more than 17 lakh rural youth and placed more than 11 lakh in gainful employment, the Minister added.

Among others, Shir Kamlesh Paswan, Union Minister of State for Rural Development, Shri Shailesh Kumar Singh, Secretary, Rural Development, Senior Officers from the Government of India and state Governments were present.

Input:- PIB