Lok Sabha Question No. 1448 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-02-11
Subject: Wage rate under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Mahabali Singh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1448

TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2020

## WAGE RATE UNDER MGNREGS

## 1448.   SHRI MAHABALI SINGH:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the  payment for brick  and cement  and various  items  is  being  made at  old rates  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme (MGNREGS) and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether labourers are not turning up for work under MGNREGS as the rate of wages under it is  less  than  the  market  rate  and  as  a  result,  less  work  is  being  done  under MGNREGS;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the details of the rate of wages under MGNREGS, the rate of wages declared by the State Governments and the market rate of wages in the States, State-wise?

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

- (a):  As per Schedule-I of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005, (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 'all material required for the works shall be procured by the  Gram  Panchayat  or  the  implementing  agency  using  a  transparent  tender  process  as specified  by  the  State  Government'.  Generally  the  States  follow  the  current  Schedule  of Rates (SoR) of the State or the Central Schedule of Rates for this purpose.  The States revise the rates of material from time to time.

(b) & (c): The Labour Budget (persondays) and expenditure under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS)  exhibit  an  increasing trend. The details of budget allocation and agreed to Labour Budget (persondays) during the last two years and current financial year 2019-20 (as on 06.02.2020) are given below:

(In crore)

| Financial Year               | Budget Allocation (In Rs.)   |   Agreed to Labour Budget (persondays) |
|------------------------------|------------------------------|----------------------------------------|
| 2017-2018                    | 55,167.06                    |                                 231.31 |
| 2018-2019                    | 61,830.09                    |                                 256.56 |
| 2019-2020 (As on 06.02.2020) | 71001.81                     |                                 270.43 |

Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  is  a  demand  driven  wage  employment  programme.  It  provides livelihood security i.e., fall back option for livelihood for the rural households when no better employment opportunity is available. The demand for work is influenced by various factors such  as  rain-fall,  availability  of  alternative  and  remunerative  employment  opportunities outside Mahatma Gandhi NREGS etc.

(d): Wages under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 2005 are notified and revised annually based on Consumer  Price  Index-Agricultural  Labourers  (CPI-AL)  by  the  Central  Government  in accordance with the provisions of Section 6(1) of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. The revised wage rates are made applicable from 1 st April of the year. State/UT-wise prevailing minimum wage  rates  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  during  the  current  FY  2019-20  are  given  at Annexure . The rates of the wages declared by the State Governments and the prevalent wage rates in the market in respect of States are not maintained in this Ministry.

Annexure-I referred in reply to part (d) of Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No.1448 dated 11.02.2020

| State wise and year wise wage rates as per Gazette Notification   | State wise and year wise wage rates as per Gazette Notification   | State wise and year wise wage rates as per Gazette Notification   |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------|
| S. No.                                                            | States/UTs                                                        | Wage rate in Rs. per day w.e.f 1 st April, 2019                   |
| 1                                                                 | ANDHRA PRADESH                                                    | 211                                                               |
| 2                                                                 | ARUNACHAL PRADESH                                                 | 192                                                               |
| 3                                                                 | ASSAM                                                             | 193                                                               |
| 4                                                                 | BIHAR                                                             | 171                                                               |
| 5                                                                 | CHHATTISGARH                                                      | 176                                                               |
| 6                                                                 | GUJARAT                                                           | 199                                                               |
| 7                                                                 | HARYANA                                                           | 284                                                               |
| 8                                                                 | HIMACHAL PRADESH - NON SCHEDULED AREA                             | 185                                                               |
| 8a                                                                | HIMACHAL PRADESH - SCHEDULED AREA                                 | 231                                                               |
| 9                                                                 | JAMMU &KASHMIR                                                    | 189                                                               |
| 10                                                                | JHARKHAND                                                         | 171                                                               |
| 11                                                                | KARNATAKA                                                         | 249                                                               |
| 12                                                                | KERALA                                                            | 271                                                               |
| 13                                                                | MADHYA PRADESH                                                    | 176                                                               |
| 14                                                                | MAHARASHTRA                                                       | 206                                                               |
| 15                                                                | MANIPUR                                                           | 219                                                               |
| 16                                                                | MEGHALAYA                                                         | 187                                                               |
| 17                                                                | MIZORAM                                                           | 211                                                               |
| 18                                                                | NAGALAND                                                          | 192                                                               |
| 19                                                                | ODISHA                                                            | 188                                                               |
| 20                                                                | PUNJAB                                                            | 241                                                               |
| 21                                                                | RAJASTHAN                                                         | 199                                                               |
| 22                                                                | SIKKIM                                                            | 192                                                               |
| 23                                                                | TAMIL NADU                                                        | 229                                                               |
| 24                                                                | TRIPURA                                                           | 192                                                               |
| 25                                                                | UTTAR PRADESH                                                     | 182                                                               |
| 26                                                                | UTTARAKHAND                                                       | 182                                                               |
| 27                                                                | WEST BENGAL                                                       | 191                                                               |
| 28                                                                | GOA                                                               | 254                                                               |
| 29                                                                | ANDAMAN & NICOBAR                                                 | ANDAMAN & NICOBAR                                                 |
| 29a                                                               | ANDAMAN                                                           | 250                                                               |
| 29b                                                               | NICOBAR                                                           | 264                                                               |
| 30                                                                | D&N HAVELI                                                        | 224                                                               |
| 31                                                                | D& DIU                                                            | 202                                                               |
| 32                                                                | LAKSHADWEEP                                                       | 248                                                               |
| 33                                                                | PUDUCHERRY                                                        | 229                                                               |
| 34                                                                | CHANDIGARH                                                        | -                                                                 |
| 35                                                                | TELANGANA                                                         | 211                                                               |