NREGA: A Decade of Transformative Impact Amid Rising Budgets

Over a decade, the NREGA scheme has seen a budget increase to Rs 86,000 crore, creating over 8 crore rural assets and 3029 crore persondays. With women's participation rising, the initiative enhances rural livelihoods through extensive water projects and infrastructure development.

The central government has disbursed Rs 7.8 lakh crore over the past decade under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), fostering the creation of more than 8 crore rural assets, officials said Wednesday. The scheme aims to bolster rural households' livelihood security by guaranteeing 100 days of employment annually to adults willing to perform unskilled manual labor.

The Rural Development Ministry highlighted a continuous rise in budget allocations, with the current fiscal year's Rs 86,000 crore marking a record at the Budget Estimate stage. NREGA's financial commitment surged from Rs 11,300 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 1,11,000 crore in 2020-21, reflecting its pivotal role during the COVID-19 crisis.

The substantial increase in persondays from 1660 crore (2006-2014) to 3029 crore (2014-2025) underscores the government's intensified efforts, leading to a 526 percent rise in better-quality, geotagged rural assets. Women's participation has notably grown, reaching 58 percent in 2024-25. Of the 266 permissible activities, many focus on agriculture, resource management, and rural infrastructure, including significant water conservation initiatives like the creation of 68,000 Amrit Sarovars.

(With inputs from agencies.)