Tamil Nadu increases rural employment scheme to 150 days with Rs 100 crore fund

The rural employment scheme in Tamil Nadu has been increased to 150 days with the state government releasing an extra fund of 100 crore rupees to cover the additional cost.

Scheme Details

Under the Viksit Bharat employment and livelihood mission, the central government recently raised the standard 100-day work program to 125 days. Following this, the newly formed TVK alliance government in Tamil Nadu announced that the scheme would be extended further to 150 days, and a formal government order has now been issued.

Priority Groups

The additional 25 days of work will be given to eligible families who have already fully used their initial 125 days of employment. Priority will be given to six specific groups, including families headed by women, single women, families with persons with disabilities, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other traditional forest dwellers.

Context

Rural employment guarantee programs are designed to provide a financial safety net for village households by assuring a fixed number of days of paid manual work every financial year. Sharing the financial burden between central and state administrations is a standard practice for funding these large-scale welfare initiatives across the country.