Overview
- Union minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan led public launches in Tripura, pitching the new law as a jobs and rural infrastructure drive and inaugurating development projects.
- The government told Parliament the 60:40 Centre–state funding model would not affect the scheme’s guarantee, contrasting it with MGNREGA’s much lower state share.
- Budgetary backing cited by the Centre includes ₹95,600 crore in the Union Budget, a total outlay of ₹1,51,282 crore this year, an additional ₹55,000 crore via the Finance Commission, and ₹10 lakh crore over five years.
- The Act guarantees 125 days of work per rural household and adds safeguards such as unemployment allowance if work is not provided, interest on delayed wages, higher administrative funds from 6% to 9%, and digital tracking.
- Opposition-ruled states and civil-society groups argue the higher state burden could weaken rights-based guarantees and are pressing for protections on job cards, on-demand work, and timely payments.