PMK Demands Larger Share for Tamil Nadu in 125-Day Rural Employment Programme

PMK leader Anbumani Ramadoss on Thursday criticized the Union government's proposed allocation for Tamil Nadu under the new rural employment guarantee programme, alleging that the state has been unfairly shortchanged despite its significant dependence on the scheme.

The criticism comes ahead of the rollout of the Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) (VB-G RAM G) on July 1, which replaces the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) programme and promises 125 days of wage employment annually for rural workers.

In a statement, Ramadoss said Tamil Nadu had been allocated only ₹3,923 crore out of the scheme's nationwide outlay of ₹95,692 crore , amounting to just 4.09 per cent of the total allocation. He argued that the state's share under the earlier employment guarantee programme was typically above 10 per cent and that the sharp reduction would adversely affect rural livelihoods.

The former Union minister cited previous allocations received by Tamil Nadu under the 100-day employment scheme, including ₹12,136.33 crore in 2023-24 , ₹7,587.58 crore in 2024-25 and ₹7,702.89 crore in 2025-26 . According to him, even those amounts were often considered inadequate to meet the state's demand for rural employment.

Ramadoss contended that the present allocation would be insufficient to provide the promised 125 days of work to registered beneficiaries and questioned the viability of the scheme's commitments without corresponding financial support.

He urged the Tamil Nadu government not to accept the proposed allocation formula and instead press the Centre for funding based on actual demand. The PMK leader also demanded that at least 10 per cent of the scheme's total funds be earmarked for the state.

The issue is likely to intensify the debate over Centre-state fiscal relations and the distribution of welfare funds as the new rural employment programme prepares for implementation.