NEW DELHI, 13 March (H.S.) : The Parliamentary Committee on Rural Development and
Panchayati Raj, led by Congress MP Saptagiri Shankar Ulaka, has presented its
report regarding the Demands for Grants for the fiscal year 2025-26. In its
findings, the committee has made several important recommendations, including a
proposed increase in funding for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MNREGA) and the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G).
Additionally, the report includes various suggestions related to the implementation
of the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation, and Resettlement Act of 2013 at the
state level.
The committee has suggested that the wage rates associated
with MNREGA be updated, proposing the use of an alternative standard rather
than the CPI-Agricultural Labour Index (CPI-AL) for calculating wage increases.
Furthermore, the committee advised the Ministry of Rural Development to explore
the possibility of establishing uniform wage rates throughout all States and
Union Territories. Additionally, the committee expressed concern regarding the
ongoing delays in the distribution of the Centre’s financial contributions for
both wage and material components of MNREGA in various States and Union
Territories.
The committee has advised that West Bengal should receive
all its entitled payments for eligible years, with the exception of the year
currently under legal dispute. Furthermore, it is imperative that outstanding
payments be disbursed promptly to prevent any interruptions in ongoing rural
development initiatives and to ensure that the intended beneficiaries are not
adversely affected by financial limitations.
As reported by the Department of Rural Development, the
outstanding liabilities as of February 15, 2025, amount to ₹12,219.18 crore for
wages and ₹11,227.09 crore for material components. The cumulative total of
these pending liabilities is ₹23,446.27 crore, which constitutes 27.26% of the
current budget. This indicates that over one-fourth of the allocated funds will
be required to settle dues from previous years.
Consequently, the
operational budget for the present financial year has decreased to Rs 62,553.73
crore, which considerably hampers the scheme’s capacity to operate efficiently
and achieve its main goal of alleviating rural distress and securing livelihoods.
A
total backlog of 14,654,267 houses remains under the Pradhan Mantri Awas
Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G). This figure comprises 6,254,267 houses identified in
the SECC-2011 list and approximately 8.4 million houses from the Awas Plus
list. The 2 crore houses approved in the extended phase have already addressed
the backlog of 1.46 crore houses, indicating that only 53.45 lakh new houses
have been allocated during this phase.
The Committee emphatically advised that the overall target
for housing units under the extended phase of PMAY-G be raised to a minimum of
3.46 crore. This adjustment aims to address the existing backlog of 1.46 crore
houses, along with an additional allocation of 2 crore houses to facilitate new
distributions beyond the current backlog.
In light of the increasing construction costs and
inflationary pressures, the Committee has proposed raising the per unit cost of
houses under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana-Gramin (PMAY-G) to Rs. 4 lakhs.
This adjustment aims to guarantee that beneficiaries obtain quality housing
that adheres to essential safety and sustainability standards.
The Committee emphatically urged the Rural Development
Department to reassess the MNREGA scheme with the aim of raising the number of
guaranteed working days from 100 to 150. Additionally, the Committee strongly
advocated for the States to implement the Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and
Resettlement (LARR) Act of 2013 in its intended spirit, ensuring just and
equitable compensation for affected landowners and communities. It is
imperative that all State Governments adhere to the provisions outlined in the
Act.
Hindusthan Samachar / Meenakshi Bhattacharya
