It is heartwarming that the Union Ministry of Rural Development has approved a revised labour budget of 4.45 crore person-days for Jammu and Kashmir under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, aligned with the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) for the financial year 2025–26. The approval follows a proposal submitted by the Jammu and Kashmir Rural Development Department seeking an upward revision of the labour budget to address the increased demand for wage employment, particularly in flood-affected and far-flung and vulnerable rural areas. The MoRD has also sanctioned an additional 50 days of employment for 1,962 flood-affected Gram Panchayats in the Union Territory under the permissible provisions of MGNREGA, providing critical livelihood support to households impacted by the recent deluge. The analysis of employment trends over the last five financial years indicates an average annual generation of 381 lakh person-days. Further, a comparative assessment of employment generation during the last four months of the previous five financial years points to a requirement of nearly 195 lakh person-days to meet the growing demand. In view of this enhanced requirement, the labour budget has been enhanced from 250 lakh persondays to 445 lakh persondays, against the current achievement of 287 lakh persondays. The Jammu and Kashmir government has identified 2.24 lakh works under the Annual Action Plan for the restoration of assets damaged during the recent floods. Over 60 per cent of the projects, in terms of cost, pertain to agriculture and allied sectors, aimed at strengthening rural livelihoods and creating durable community assets. Last summer, floods wreaked havoc on Jammu and Kashmir. Roads, infrastructure, agriculture, houses, etc. suffered huge damage. Jammu division suffered the most. Over 150 people were killed, and 178 others were injured in the Jammu division alone. Around 33 people are still missing, with Kishtwar recording the highest casualties. More than 4,200 homes were fully damaged, and over 8,600 were partially damaged. Udhampur and Jammu were the worst hit. Livestock losses stood at 1,455, and crops over 1,300 hectares were damaged. The Centre’s decision to revise the labour budget will go a long way in helping the flood-hit people. It will ensure the livelihood of the people who suffered huge losses due to the flood. Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Minister of Rural Development Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha, and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah deserve kudos for coming to the rescue of the flood-affected people. Increasing person-days will instill a sense of confidence among the flood-affected people. Yet more needs to be done. The government needs to expedite the process of assessing the losses so that people are compensated at the earliest. Plus, the government should also ensure that the homes damaged in the floods are rebuilt as soon as possible so that people can start their lives afresh.
Labour budget
