By TIOL News Service

NEW DELHI, DEC 05, 2024: GOVERNMENT is transforming the lives of people through jobs, house and connectivity. Minister of State for Railways, Ravneet Singh Bittu, claimed this while talking to the journalists in the parliament yesterday. He highlighted the significant progress and financial allocations under rural development schemes. He focused on Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA), Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, and Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana, underscoring their pivotal role in transforming rural areas.

Fund Allocation and Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

MoSR on rural development Ravneet Singh Bittu highlighted that MGNREGA is one of the most important schemes because it not only provides money and employment but also allows people to work without having to leave their homes. In 2006-07, the allocation for this scheme was Rs.11,300 crore, which has now increased to Rs.86,000 crore. The total fund allocated under this scheme so far is Rs.9,85,622 crore, nearly Rs.10 lakh crore. For 2024, Rs.46,907 crore has been allocated to the states. Earlier, there was a cumbersome process of obtaining job cards; initially, people had to complete 22 registries. However, now things have become easier.

PM Awas Yojana has achieved remarkable success

He also emphasised that PM Awas Yojana has achieved remarkable success in the last 10 years, with more than 3 crore rural houses constructed, averaging 10,000 houses constructed per day. This scheme not only provides housing but also generates employment and offers training. Till now, 3 lakh individuals have been trained. Earlier, it took 314 days to construct a house, but now it takes just 114 days. All of this has been possible under the vision of Modi Ji.

PM Gram Sadak Yojana

He highlighted third important scheme is PM Gram Sadak Yojana, as the roads constructed under it play a vital role in rural development. If we look at the total sanctioned roads, it is 8,34,457 km, and the total constructed roads till date are 7,69,178 km. From 9th June 2024 to 2nd December 2024, 315 km of roads were constructed.

North-East villages gain connectivity

In the North-East, Prime Minister Modi has demonstrated significant concern by ensuring that roads are constructed under the PM Gram Sadak Yojana for villages in Naxal-affected areas with populations as small as 100, and for non-Naxal-affected areas, for villages with populations exceeding 250.

He highlighted the substantial budget allocated to these programs and mentioned that other schemes would be discussed in the future.