MGNREGA

Subject: Schemes

Context:

Almost 1.4 lakh poor rural households have completed their quota of 100 days of work under MGNREGA in the first three months of the year, and will not be eligible for further benefits under the rural employment guarantee scheme for the rest of the year.

Concept:

Reason:

With COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown resulting in thousands of unemployed migrant workers returning to their villages and now dependent on MGNREGA wages

Features:

• MGNREGA, which is the largest work guarantee programmein the world, was enacted in 2005 with the primary objective of guaranteeing 100 days of wage employmentper year to rural householdswhose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
• The act provides a legal right to employmentfor adult members of rural households.  At least one third beneficiaries have to be women.
• Employment must be provided with 15 days of being demanded failing which an ‘unemployment allowance’ must be given.
• The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD) is monitoring the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
• Gram sabhas must recommend the works that are to be undertaken and at least 50% of the works must be executed by them.  PRIs are primarily responsible for planning, implementation and monitoring of the works that are undertaken.
• All work sites should have facilities such as crèches, drinking water and first aid.
• There are provisions for proactive disclosure through wall writings, citizen information boards, Management Information Systems and social audits.  Social audits are conducted by gram sabhas to enable the community to monitor the implementation of the scheme.
• Funding is shared between the centre and the states.  There are three major items of expenditure – wages (for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled labour), material and administrative costs.  The central government bears 100% of the cost of unskilled labour, 75% of the cost of semi-skilled and skilled labour, 75% of the cost of materials and 6% of the administrative costs.
• The MGNREGA scheme contains a provision for districts affected by drought or other natural disaster to request an expansion of the scheme to allow for 150 days of work.