Lok Sabha Question No. 3725 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-17
Subject: Funding of New Schemes through MGNREGA
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Chandra Sekhar Sahu

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3725

TO BE ANSWERED ON 17.03.2020

## FUNDING OF NEW SCHEMES THROUGH MGNREGA

## 3725.   SHRI CHANDRA SEKHAR SAHU:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government proposes to use Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act(MGNREGA) for funding most of the activities for rural development;
- (b) if so, the facts thereof;
- (c) whether  the  Government  has  identified  the  effective  rural  development  schemes  to improve rural economy;
- (d) if so, the details thereof; and
- (e) the details of the new plans/schemes formulated for funding through MGNREGA?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI NARENDRA SINGH TOMAR)

(a)&(b): The  core  objectives  of  The  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Guarantee  Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 2005 as per Schedule I, Para (3)

- a. Providing  not  less  than  one  hundred  days  of  unskilled  manual  work  as  a  guaranteed employment in financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability;
- b. Strengthening the livelihood resource base of the poor
- c. Proactively ensuring social inclusion; and
- d. Strengthening Panchayat Raj Institutions

There  are  261  combinations  of  works  which  are  permissible  under  Mahatma  Gandhi NREGA. Out of this, 182 works are related to Natural Resource Management and 164 works are related to agriculture and allied activities. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS lays emphasis that atleast 60% of works at district level in terms of cost shall be for creation of productive assets directly linked to Agriculture  and  Allied Activities  which  include  works  related to  water  security  like construction of farm ponds, wells, earthen check dam, field channels and other water harvesting structures.

(c)&(d): In additional to Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, the Ministry of Rural Development, inter  alia,  is  implementing,  Pradhan  Mantri  Awaas  Yojana  -  Gramin  (PMAY-G),  Pradhan Mantri  Gram  Sadak  Yojana  (PMGSY),  Deendayal  Antyodaya  Yojana  -  National  Rural Livelihoods  Mission  (DAY-NRLM),  Deen  Dayal  Upadhyay  -  Gramin  Kaushalya  Yojana (DDU-GKY),  Skill  development  through  Rural  Self  Employment  and  Training  Institutes (RSETIs) to bring about overall improvement in the quality of life of the people in rural areas through  employment  generation,  strengthening  of  livelihood  opportunities,  promoting  self- employment, skilling of rural youths and other basic amenities are aimed for improvement of rural economy. Each of the Schemes has separate budget allocations for their implementation.

The erstwhile Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY) has been completely restructured as Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana- Gramin(PMAY-G) w.e.f 1 st April,  2016 aims to provide 'Housing for All'  through  provision  of  pucca  house  with  basic  amenities  to  all  houseless  households  and households  living  in  kutcha  and  dilapidated  house  in  rural  areas  by  2022. 2.95  crore  pucca houses are targeted for completion by 2022.

Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY) is a one-time special intervention of the Government of India to improve rural infrastructure through construction of all weather roads to provide connectivity to eligible habitations. 'Rural Roads' being a State subject, the programme is  being  implemented by the respective State /UT Governments. Till date 98% of the eligible and feasible habitations have already been provided connectivity. A total of 6,21,058 Km road length has already been completed under PMGSY.

Under DAY-NRLM as on 31st January, 2020 more than 6.73 Crore Households have been mobilized into 60.82 lakh Self Help Groups (SHGs).

Under  DDU-GKY  and  RSETI  are  also  increasing  employability  in  rural  areas  of  the country.  Under both the schemes, skill training is being imparted free of cost to the rural poor youths in various trades/job  roles  The  number  of  the  candidates  trained  and  placed  in jobs/settled under DDU-GKY and RSETI during the current financial year is given below:

| Year                          | DDU-GKY                         | DDU-GKY                        | RSETI                           | RSETI                           |
|-------------------------------|---------------------------------|--------------------------------|---------------------------------|---------------------------------|
|                               | Total no. of candidates trained | Total no. of candidates placed | Total no. of candidates trained | Total no. of candidates settled |
| 2019-20 (Till February, 2020) | 214187                          | 137665                         | 360173                          | 237505                          |

(e):    New  plans/schemes  formulated  for  funding  through  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  are  as following:

(i) Project  'UNNATI': The  objective  of  the  project  is  to  upgrade  the  skill-base  of  the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA workers and thereby improve their livelihoods by shifting from part time  employment  to  full  time  employment.  The  training  would  be  provided  for  one  adult member  (of  age  18-45  year)  of  a  household  who  has  completed  100  days  of  work  under Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  in  FY  2018-19.  The  target  is  to  train  2  lakh  adult  members  of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS workers in 3 years. The candidate undergoing training will be paid stipend for a maximum period of 100 days and the household from which, the candidate will be selected for the training, will continue to get 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA in a financial year.

(ii) Cluster Facilitation Project (CFP): The Cluster Facilitation Project (CFP) will roll out from 1st April, 2020 for a period of 3 years. The objective of the project is to ensure effective implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the 250 blocks of 117 aspirational districts and 50  blocks  in  other  backward  areas  through  better  planning  coordination  and  monitoring  by providing dedicated thematic experts from the fields of Geographic Information System (GIS), Natural Resource Management (NRM) and Agriculture and Allied at various levels - National, State,  district,  Block  and  sub  block  level.  100%  cost  of  the  project  would  be  borne  by  the Ministry.

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