Budget 2025: 'MGNREGA Is Essential for the Economy, Govt Shouldn't Use it in Opportunistic Ways'

In the fifth episode of ‘Budget 2025: What’s at Stake?’, social activist and educator Anuradha Talwar highlights the challenges facing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, from digital exclusion to budget cuts that leave workers unpaid.

She talks about the impact of Union government-state government conflicts, like in West Bengal, on rural livelihoods.

Talwar outlines what a responsive Budget should include to ensure timely work, fair wages, and improved accountability for MGNREGA.

This series is a collaboration between the Centre for Financial Accountability and The Wire.