Budget 2025: Sitharaman retains rural employment spending at Rs 86,000 cr in FY26

India plans to spend 860 billion rupees on its rural jobs guarantee program in the next fiscal year, remaining unchanged from the previous year's allocation. Despite economic slowdown, the rural economy is recovering. The MGNREGA scheme provides 100 days of work for rural citizens. The unemployment rate reached 7.8% in December 2024, with 35.6 million people unemployed.