The Union government has notified the new wage rates for unskilled manual workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) for the 2024-25 financial year.
The wage rates, which saw a 3 to 10 per cent rise, will come into force from April 1, 2024.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced a Rs 86,000 budget allocation for the scheme in the upcoming fiscal. Around 14.34 crore workers were registered under MGNREGA in 2023-24.
The lowest daily wage rates, in terms of percentage hike, was in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand at 3 per cent with an increase of Rs 7 while Goa saw the highest increase at 10.6 per cent with workers earning Rs 34 more per day.
Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana also saw more than 10 per cent hike in the daily wages. In Karnataka, the wages were increased by 10.44 per cent from the previous Rs 316 to Rs 349 per day while Andhra Pradesh and Telangana witnessed a 10.29 per cent hike from the earlier Rs 272 to Rs 300.
Going by the new daily wage rates, Haryana will see the highest wage at Rs 374, followed by Goa at Rs 356 and Kerala at Rs 346. Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland will have the lowest wage in the country at Rs 234 per day.