Finance Ministry’s Bold Move: Rs 10,000 Crore Advance for MGNREGS

In a significant financial move, the Finance Ministry of India has allocated Rs 10,000 crore as an advance for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). This amount is in addition to the already budgeted allocation of Rs 60,000 crore for the financial year 2023-24. The announcement was made in the Lok Sabha, India’s lower house of Parliament.

The decision to provide this advance from the Contingency Fund of India comes in response to the exhaustion of MGNREGS funds. Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, informed that the Union government had released a total of Rs 66,629 crore to states for various components of the scheme, including wages, materials, and administrative costs, up to November 29, 2023.

Furthermore, Union Rural Development Minister Giriraj Singh stated in an interview that an additional allocation of Rs 28,000 crore for MGNREGS had been approved, which is expected to be cleared in the ongoing Winter session of Parliament. The MGNREGS is a flagship welfare program in India aimed at enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment each financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.

The current financial situation includes a pending liability of approximately Rs 2020.59 crore for MGNREGS wages to states and a liability of Rs 4,939.58 crore for material components. This substantial advance is a proactive step towards addressing these liabilities and ensuring the effective implementation of the MGNREGS, which plays a crucial role in rural employment and development​​​​​​​​.

Share:

MORE STORIES

## Navigating the AI Revolution: 5 Trending Google Ads Topics for Marketers As Google Ads continues its rapid evolution, staying ahead of the curve is paramount for digital marketers. The platform’s increasing reliance on artificial intelligence, shifting privacy landscapes, and the introduction of new campaign types are creating a fresh set of challenges and opportunities. Here are five top trending blog topics that delve into the most critical areas of Google Ads today. ### 1. The Rise of the Machines: Mastering AI-Powered Campaign Types Google is unequivocally betting on AI to drive the future of its advertising platform. A key area of focus for marketers is understanding and mastering AI-driven campaign types like Performance Max and Demand Gen. These campaigns automate targeting, bidding, and ad creation across Google’s entire inventory. A deep dive into strategies for providing the right inputs to these “black box” models, interpreting their performance, and understanding how to guide the AI for optimal results is a crucial topic for advertisers looking to succeed in this new era. ### 2. Beyond the Click: Navigating the New Landscape of Measurement and Attribution With the impending deprecation of third-party cookies and a growing emphasis on user privacy, the way advertisers measure success is undergoing a fundamental shift. This has propelled topics like enhanced conversions, consent mode, and the integration of first-party data to the forefront. Marketers are actively seeking guidance on how to implement these privacy-centric measurement solutions to gain a more accurate and holistic view of their campaign performance in a world without granular user tracking. ### 3. Creative is the New Targeting: Leveraging AI for Compelling Ad Experiences In an automated world, the creative has become a key differentiator. Google is investing heavily in AI-powered tools that can generate and optimize ad copy, images, and videos. Blog posts that explore how to effectively use these generative AI features to create a high volume of diverse and engaging ad creatives are gaining significant traction. This includes best practices for providing creative inputs, A/B testing AI-generated assets, and ensuring brand consistency across automated campaigns. ### 4. The Evolution of Search: Adapting to a More Conversational and Visual SERP The traditional keyword-based search is evolving. Users are increasingly employing longer, more conversational queries, and Google is responding with a more visual and AI-driven search engine results page (SERP). This shift requires a re-evaluation of traditional keyword research and bidding strategies. Trending discussions revolve around how to adapt to this new reality, including the role of broad match keywords, the importance of high-quality creative in visual search formats, and strategies for capturing intent in a more conversational search landscape. ### 5. Future-Proofing Your Strategy: The Growing Importance of a Full-Funnel Approach As automation takes over many of the manual levers within Google Ads, the focus is shifting towards a more strategic, full-funnel marketing approach. Advertisers are looking for insights on how to effectively use different Google Ads campaign types to guide users through the entire customer journey, from initial awareness to final conversion and retention. This includes discussions on how to structure campaigns to complement each other, allocate budgets across the funnel, and measure the impact of upper-funnel activities on bottom-line results.

Google Ads is in the midst of a quiet revolution—one driven by artificial intelligence, privacy-first regulations, and a rapidly changing search landscape. For digital marketers,

Send Us A Message