(a) whether it was announced in the General Budget 2017-18 that over Rs. 3 lakh crore will be spent for rural India;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the Government proposes to double the farmers’ income through Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and if so, the details thereof; and
(d) whether five lakh farm ponds will be taken up under MGNREGS during the current financial year and if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)
(a)&(b): It was announced in the General Budget 2017-18 that “Over Rs.3.00 lakh crore are spent in rural areas every year, if we add up all the programmes meant for rural poor from the Central Budget, State Budgets, Bank linkage for self-help groups, etc.”
(c): The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims at enhancing livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing atleast one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work and through creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability.
There is a provision under Schedule-I of MGNREGA Act, 2005 for improving productivity of lands through land development and by providing suitable infrastructure for irrigation and other water harvesting structures which would lead to enhancement of income. Provision has been made that at least 60% of the works to be taken up in a district in terms of cost under MGNREGA shall be for creation of productive assets directly linked to agriculture and allied activities.
(d): During the current financial Year 2017-18, States/UTs planned for 960692 number of farm ponds as per detail given at Annexure.
*****