"The expenditure on EGS rose from Rs 345 crore the previous year to Rs 1,654 crore last year," the minister said. This year, the expenditure in the first four months of the financial year was Rs 600 crore, he said.
Raut was speaking at a "janata darbar" at Gandhi Bhawan, the Congress office in south Mumbai.
Measures are being undertaken under water conservation scheme to combat drought, the minister said. Instead of giving cash to those working under the EGS scheme, the payment is deposited in their bank accounts, he said.
The water conservation department has constituted study groups and deputed them in rural areas as part of steps to tackle drought, Raut said.
