Villupuram Member of Parliament D. Ravikumar is urging the Tamil Nadu government to extend the number of working days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to Villupuram district.
In a letter to Gagandeep Singh Bedi, Additional Chief Secretary to Government, Rural Development and Panchayat Raj Department, Mr. Ravikumar said that according to the 2011 census, the district recorded the highest number of agricultural laborers at 8.3 lakh.
A significant proportion of women – 54.9% – depend on agriculture, and studies have shown that most households survive on daily wages, often earning less than ₹3,000 per month with less than 90 days of annual employment.
Last year, Villupuram district was allocated 1.79 million man-days under MGNREGS. However, this year the allocation has been drastically reduced to 81 million, which will severely affect poor families and the rural economy, he said.
He asked the government to increase the number of man-days to at least 1.5 million and to extend 100 days of assured employment to MBC, SC and ST households below the poverty line.
Published – 15 Oct 2025 21:46 IST
