Lok Sabha Question No. 196 (STARRED), answered on 2022-03-15
Subject: Demand for Jobs under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dayanidhi Maran

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

## LOK SABHA

## STARRED QUESTION NO. 196 ANSWERED ON 15/03/2022

## DEMAND FOR JOBS UNDER MGNREGS

## *196.   SHRI DAYANIDHI MARAN:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment or study on the demand for jobs under  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (MGNREGS) before, during and after the pandemic and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  the  Government  has  held  consultations  at  the  grassroots  level  to  understand views of stakeholders in availability and demand of jobs under MGNREGS during the last three years and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government has taken cognizance of media reports indicating high demand for jobs under MGNREGS amid increasing rural unemployment and lack of opportunities and if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the manner in which the Government proposes to manage reduced budgetary allocations in  the  current  fiscal  considering  that  as  many  as  19  States  have  crossed  MGNREGS budgets and the demand-driven nature of the scheme?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)

- (a) to (d):       A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## Statement in reply to Parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 196 for 15.03.2022

(a) to (c):  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment programme which provide for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. It provides livelihood security i.e., fall back option for livelihood for the rural households when no better employment opportunity is available.  As  per  the  information  uploaded  by  the  States/UTs  in  Management  Information System  (MIS)  of  NREGASoft,  the  details  of households  demanded  employment,  households offered  employment and  households  who  have  turned  up  at  the  worksites  and  thus  availed employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the financial years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 202122 (as on 08.03.2022) is given below:

(Figure in crore)

| Financial Year                                                    |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |   2021-22 (as on 08.03.2022) |
|-------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|------------------------------|
| Households demanded employment                                    |      6.17 |      8.55 |                         7.89 |
| Households offered employment                                     |      6.15 |      8.54 |                         7.85 |
| Households turned up at the worksite and thus availed employment* |      5.48 |      7.55 |                         7.01 |

*Acceptance of offer of wage employment depends upon the beneficiaries.

(d):       Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee  Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi NREGS)  is  a  demand  driven  wage  employment  programme  and  funds  are  released  to  the States/UTs on the basis of "agreed to" Labour Budget (LB) and performance of the States/UTs during  the  financial  year.  Fund  release  to  States/UTs  is  a  continuous  process  and  Central Government is committed in making funds available keeping in view the demand for work on the ground.

The Government had enhanced the financial allocation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS for financial year 2020-21 from Rs.61,500 crore at Budget Estimate (BE) stage to Rs.1,11,500 crore at Revised Estimate (RE) stage.

In the current financial year 2021-22, the budget provision at Budget Estimate (BE) stage was Rs. 73,000 crore.   The  Ministry  has  requested  for  additional  budget  allocation  which  has been enhanced to Rs. 98,000 crore at the Revised Estimate (RE) stage as per the requirement of funds. The Ministry seeks additional fund for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS as and when required for meeting the demand for work on the ground.

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