New Delhi, Jun 12 (IANS): During the corona period, lakhs of migrant labourers who returned home from the cities have found support under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act). Under the scheme, the daily wage labourers in the villages got 84 per cent more work in June than in the corresponding period last year.

In the ongoing corona crisis, the scheme has not only provided employment, but has also been the driver of the rural economy.

Under the scheme, an average of 3.42 crore people have been offered daily work across the country in June, which is 83.87 per cent higher than the corresponding period last year.

According to statistics from the Union Rural Development ministry, an average of 2.51 crore people got work under MGNREGA in May, which is 73 per cent higher than the average figure of 1.45 crore in the corresponding period last year. Therefore, in May employment under the scheme increased by 73.1 per cent.

The average number of daily wage labourers working under the MGNREGA scheme in June has been 3.42 crore, while 1.86 crore people benefitted under the scheme in June last year. Under MGNREGA, employment is calculated on the basis of man days.

On an average, in June, this figure has been 3.42 crore man days.

Union Rural Development ministry official said the wages paid to the labourers under the MGNREGA are directly deposited into their bank accounts and nearly Rs 31,500 crore were released to the states from the amount allocated for the scheme.

The total budgetary allocation under the MGNREGA in the current financial year 2020-21 was Rs 61,500 crore, but on May 17, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an allocation of additional amount of Rs 40,000 crore for the scheme. This amount is part of the Rs 20 lakh crore economic stimulus package announced by the Union government under the 'Aatmanirbhar' campaign.

The government has increased the MGNREGA budget in view of the migration of labourers from the cities during the corona period so that they could get employment in their native villages. The government has increased the daily wage rate of labourers under MGNREGA from Rs 182 to Rs 202.

Under MGNREGA, 60 per cent of the allocated amount is spent on providing work to unskilled labourers while up to 40 per cent is included in the project along with the cost of the material used in the work and wages paid to the skilled labour. The official said MNREGA pays special attention to water conservation and irrigation infrastructure development, which strengthens agriculture and rural economy.

Economists have said that the MGNREGA is a source of income generation in the rural sector during the current corona crisis. If people get work, they will get money in their pockets and their purchasing power will increase, which will create demand.