Lok Sabha Question No. 856 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-07
Subject: Review of MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: S. Jagathrakshakan

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 856

ANSWERED ON 07/02/2023

## REVIEW OF MGNREGS

## 856. SHRI S. JAGATHRAKSHAKAN:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any initiative to make Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) more effective;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor;
- (c) whether  the  Government  is  contemplating  to  change  the  composition  of  work  and review;
- (d) whether the MGNREGS should focus more on community-based assets or individual works; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)

(a)&(b) Guidelines  are  issued  to  the  State/UT  Governments  from  time  to  time.  These Guidelines  are  available  at  the  portal  nrega.nic.in.  The  main  Guidelines  among  them  are Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) Operational Guidelines and Annual Master Circulars, issued from year 2017-18 till 2021-22. It  is  the  responsibility  of  the  State/UT  Governments  to  ensure  compliance  with  these Guidelines and to the Provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act and the relevant Rules.

The Ministry has a comprehensive system of monitoring and review mechanism for Mahatma Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS).  The important elements of the above framework are listed below:

- i. The  Ministry  regularly  reviews  the  performance  of  the  implementation  of  Mahatma Gandhi  NREGS  in  States/UTs  through  various  fora  viz.,  Mid-Term  Review,  Labour Budget  determination  and  revision  meetings,  Programme  Review  meetings.  Central Employment  Guarantee  Council  and  State  Employment  Guarantee  Councils  also periodically monitor implementation of the programme.
- ii. National Level Monitors, Common Review Missions and Officers of the Ministry visit States/UTs  at  regular  interval  to  review  implementation  of  the  programme.  After  the field  visits,  the  findings/shortcomings  and  recommendations  are  shared  with  the States/UTs for appropriate action at their end.
- iii. Auditing  Standards  for  Social  Audit  have  been  issued  and  States/UTs  have  been advised to establish independent Social Audit Units, conduct Social Audit as per Audit of Scheme Rules, 2011 and training of village resource persons for conducting Social Audit  etc.  As  per  the  Audit  of  the  Scheme  Rules,  the  audit  of  the  works  in  a  Gram Panchayat  has  been  made  mandatory.   Internal  Audit  Teams  of  the  Department  also conduct regular audit.
- iv. Steps have been taken to strengthen transparency and accountability which include geotagging of assets, Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT), National electronic Fund Management
5. System  (NeFMS),  Aadhaar  Based  Payment  System  (ABPS),  Software  for  Estimate Calculation using rural rates for Employment (SECURE)  and appointment of Ombudsperson in every district of States/UTs.
- v. Steps  have  been  taken  for  establishment  of  State  Technical  Cell  at  various  level  for qualitative monitoring and supervision of works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.
- vi. In order to ensure higher level of monitoring and oversight, National  Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App and Area Officer App have been introduced. In the former, attendance of workers on all work sites (except Individual Beneficiary works) is taken daily along with a geo-tagged & time stamped photograph of theirs. The latter has been designed to ensure that field officials conduct inspections in the requisite numbers and look into all the relevant aspects of the scheme.
- vii. Transparency and accountability measure like Ombudsperson for each district, independent Director for Social Audit Unit, timely compliance of Internal Audit Paras are some of the conditions for funds release.

(c)   Adding new works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a regular exercise and new works are added on the basis of merit in alignment with focus and objectives of the Scheme.

(d) & (e)    As per Schedule 1 of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 265 works are permissible, out of  these,  68  works  are  related  to  individual  beneficiary  works and 197 works are relatedto community work.

Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand driven wage employment scheme with bottom up planning .  The  works  are  identified,  approved  and  prioritized  out  of  shelf  of  work  by  the Gram Panchayat, recommended by Gram Sabha in each State/UT as per the provision of the Act. Accordingly, the works are approved and taken up by Panchayat as per the demand. The planning of works is done as per the estimated person days to be generated for the work in a financial year at the time of assessment of Labour Budget.

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