MGNREGA at Village Level
Revenue & Panchayati Raj · ग्राम स्तर पर MGNREGA · 18 facts
MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act): Enacted 2005; came into force February 2, 2006; world's largest employment guarantee scheme.
100-day guarantee (Section 3): Legal right to 100 days of unskilled manual work per household per year; demand-driven; household must apply for work.
Wage rates: Central government notifies MGNREGS wages by state; national average Rs 267/day (2023-24); ranges from Rs 204 (Bihar) to Rs 374 (Haryana); linked to CPI-AL.
Job Card: Every registered household gets a Job Card; issued within 15 days of application; contains household details, work demanded, work allotted; mandatory for wages.
Work demand (Section 10): Household must apply in writing for work; work must be provided within 15 days; if not provided, unemployment allowance must be paid (at least 1/4 wage for first 30 days, 1/2 thereafter).
Payment timeline: Wages must be paid within 15 days of work completion; delay beyond 15 days attracts compensation to worker; payment through bank/post office accounts (direct benefit transfer).
Types of permissible works: Water conservation (ponds, check dams), land development (earthwork, bunding), rural roads (PMGSY convergence), plantation, drought proofing, flood management, rural buildings.
60:40 ratio: At least 60% of MGNREGS funds must be spent on labour; at most 40% on materials; ensures labour-intensive works; no contractors allowed.
Gram Sabha role: Selects works to be taken up; conducts Social Audit (mandatory under Section 17) to verify work and expenditure; can reject works or recommend complaints.
Program Officer and Gram Rozgar Sevak: Gram Rozgar Sevak (GRS) is village-level functionary; registers households, maintains job cards, assists in work allotment; Programme Officer at block level.
NIC MIS (Management Information System): Online system for MGNREGS; real-time data on job cards, work demanded, work completed, wages paid; publicly accessible; ensures transparency.
Scale of MGNREGS: 7-8 crore households work annually; budget Rs 73,000+ crore (FY2023-24); 5.5 crore active workers; SC/ST together 50%+ of workers; women 55%+ of total workdays.
Convergence with other schemes: MGNREGS converges with PM Awas Yojana-Gramin (house construction labour), Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (irrigation works), SBM (sanitation pits).
MGNREGS and COVID-19: FY2020-21 budget increased to Rs 1.11 lakh crore (highest ever); reversed urban-rural migration; acted as economic safety net during pandemic.
Ombudsman: MGNREGS Act provides for appointment of Ombudsman at district level to hear complaints about denial of wages, delayed payments, work not provided; independent grievance redressal.
Aadhaar seeding: Aadhaar-linked job cards mandatory since 2015; prevents ghost workers and duplicate entries; wages directly credited to Aadhaar-linked bank accounts.
Section 27 — State Employment Guarantee Fund: Each state must establish a State Employment Guarantee Fund; acts as buffer when central funds are delayed; ensures timely wages.
MGNREGS — rights-based approach: First demand-driven public works scheme; legal entitlement (not just government scheme); can appeal to Grievance Redressal Officer, Ombudsman, court.