Report on the working of ‘MGNREGA’ released by the Standing Committee of Parliament
Recently, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj has issued a report on the working of ‘MNREGA’.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ie MNREGA was introduced by the Government of India in the year 2005 as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (NREGA).
In the year 2010, the name of NREGA was changed to MGNREGA. It is one of the largest job guarantee programs in the world.
The primary objective of the scheme is to guarantee 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do unskilled manual work related to public work.
There are 15.4 crore active workers under MNREGA by the year 2022-23. During drought/natural calamity, working days can be increased to 150 days in notified rural areas.
Key points of the report
Major Challenges of MNREGA
- The problem of disruption of work due to shortfall in fund allocation in MNREGA.
- Delay in payment of wages and release of funds for material demoralizing the needy beneficiaries.
- Smartphone and internet connectivity have become essential for the new attendance system introduced through the mobile app ‘National Mobile Monitoring System’.
- Workers also face language barriers in the mobile app system, so have to seek the help of another person.
- There exists a disparity in the wages being paid under MGNREGA in different States/UTs.
Recommendations of the committee:
- The Department of Rural Development (DoRD) should assess the ground situation with respect to the demand for employment under MGNREGA. Also, the demand for allocation of requisite funds should be coordinated with the Ministry of Finance.
- Timely release of the Centre’s share in wages and material must be ensured through effective measures and better coordination with the States.
- The implementation of the Attendance App needs to be reviewed holistically keeping in view the ground reality and challenges faced by the MGNREGA workers.
- A uniform wage rate should be notified throughout the country and it should be linked to a suitable price index.
Source – The Print
