Work demand under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) decreased in the first two months of FY25 compared to last year. In April 2024, 21.51 million households sought work, a 10.59% drop from April 2023. In May 2024, 27.19 million households sought work, down 14.30% from the previous year. Despite this decline, the number of workers remains higher than pre-COVID levels. The Centre has allocated Rs 86,000 crore for MGNREGA in the Interim Budget for FY25, with an approved labor budget of 2.21 billion person-days, which is 28.06% less than FY24.