Lok Sabha Elections 2019: PM Narendra Modi to boost rural spending by up to 16 per cent

New Delhi : In a fresh bid to woo voters, the Bharattiya Janata Party government will be boosting spending in the rural areas by up to 16 per cent, said a report.

According to a source mentioned in the report, the government is likely to earmark about Rs 1.3 trillion ($18.25 billion) for the Ministry of Rural Development, up from 1.12 trillion rupees in the current fiscal year.

The interim Finance Minister Piyush Goyal will be announcing the increased allocation in the upcoming Budget, the source who wished not to be named added.

The experts believe that NDA government has failed so far in bringing up a solid policy for the poor and farmers, which is why they had to face defeat in the state elections recently.

On Monday, Congress President Rahul Gandhi promised a minimum income to the farmers if his party wins election and comes to power.

Among the key welfare programmes run by the Ministry of Rural Development, the highest allocation will be for the flagship rural job guarantee programme, which enables people in the countryside to seek government-paid work for up to 100 days in a year.

The government is expected to give about Rs 600 billion for the job guarantee programme for the 2019-20 fiscal year, 9 percent more than the previous year, the sources said.