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New Delhi: The Centre will allocate an additional amount of Rs 10,000 crore for the Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Rozgar Yojana in a bid to boost rural employment amid the pandemic, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Thursday.
The scheme, which includes various employment generating schemes including the MGNREGs, PMGSY among others, is in progress in 116 districts and Rs 37,543 crore has been spent till date as per government data.
The Centre had provided Rs 61,500 crore for MGNREGS in the budget for 2020-21. An amount of Rs 40,000 crore was additionally provided in 'Atmanirbhar Bharat 1.0'.
As on date, Rs 73,504 crore has been released under the MGNREGS and 251 crore person-days of employment have been generated as per the Finance Ministry.
Announcing another major scheme for creating new employment in the formal sector, Sitharaman said the government would come up with 'Atmanirbhar Bharat Rozgar Yojana' to incentivise creation of new employment opportunities during the Covid-recovery phase.
The employment scheme, effective from October 1, will be applicable to eligible new employees joining the EPFO-registered establishments and for those who exited these concerns during the Covid pandemic (March 1-September 30, 2020) and were drawing monthly wages of less than Rs 15,000.
FM Sitharaman Announces Rs 18,000 Cr Additional Outlay For PMAY-Urban
Additionally, the Centre will allocate Rs 18,000 crore more to the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) - Urban for building houses for middle income and economically weaker sections of the country.
The amount of Rs 18,000 crore will be provided over the Budget Estimates for 2020-21 through additional allocation and extra budgetary resources.
The allocation is over and above Rs 8,000 crore already this year.
As per the government, the decision will help 12 lakh houses to be launched and 18 lakh houses to be completed and create 78 lakh additional jobs.
In another major to boost the real estate sector, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an increase in the permitted differential between the circle rate and the agreement value of housing units to 20 per cent from the current mandated limit of 10 per cent till June 30.
The increase in differential will be applicable in residential units of value up to Rs 2 crore. It will help in reducing the tax liability as the tax will be applicable on lower value of residential units.
Section 43CA of the IT Act restricts differential between circle rate and the agreement value at 10 per cent. However, prices may actually be lower than that, and the restriction curbs sale of housing units.
Sitharaman said that the decision has been taken to boost sales at a time when demand is low and inventories have piled up.
(IANS)
