Lok Sabha Question No. 5357 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-05
Subject: MGNREGS in Rajasthan
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Hanuman Beniwal

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

## LOK  SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 5357

ANSWERED ON 05/04/2022

## MGNREGS IN RAJASTHAN

## 5357.   SHRI HANUMAN BENIWAL:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of the budget allocated and utilized by the State Government of Rajasthan from the year 2019 to January, 2022 under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), yearwise;
- (b) whether the Government intends to add any separate policy for employment with this scheme by adding new works in MGNREGS and if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether the Government reviews the budget allocated to the States under MGNREGS; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a):      Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS)  is  a  demand  driven  wage  employment  programme  which  provides  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. There is no State/UT-wise financial allocation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.

The  details  of  fund  released  to  State  of  Rajasthan  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  in  the financial year 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 (as on 31.01.2022) is given below:

| Financial Year               | 2019-20   | 2020-21   | 2021-22 (as on 31.01.2022)   |
|------------------------------|-----------|-----------|------------------------------|
| Fund released (Rs. in crore) | 6,891.74  | 9,129.03  | 7,909.08                     |

(b):    There are 262 permissible works under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee  Act  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA).  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 Act.

(c)  &  (d):    Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand driven programme and thus there is no State/UT-wise financial allocation under the Scheme.

The Ministry has a comprehensive system of monitoring and review mechanism for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. Some of 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 meetings, Labour Budget Revision meetings, Programme Review meetings. Central Employment  Guarantee  Council  and  State  Employment  Guarantee  Councils  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. 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 System (NeFMS), Aadhar 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 and Area Officer App have been introduced. In the former, attendance of workers on a particular work, where more than 20 workers are employed is taken daily along with a geotagged & time stamped photograph of theirs. The latter has been designed to ensure that field officials do conduct inspections in the requisite numbers and look into all the relevant aspects of the scheme.

(viii)  In  addition  Central  and  State  Employment Guarantee Councils, District Development Coordination  and  Monitoring  Committees  (DISHA)  as  also  PRIs  do  also  take  up  the monitoring and oversight of the Programme.

******