Lok Sabha Question No. 3504 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2021-08-10
Subject: Implementation of MGNREGS in Assam
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Kripanath Mallah

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3504

ANSWERED ON 10/08/2021

## IMPLEMENTATION OF MGNREGS IN ASSAM

## 3504.   SHRI KRIPANATH MALLAH:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) the salient features of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS);
- (b) the details of the funds sanctioned, allocated and utilized under this scheme within Assam during the last three years;
- (c) the details of the number of works taken up during the last three years within Assam under this scheme; and
- (d) the details of the number of workers enrolled under this scheme within Assam during the last three years; and
- (e) whether  the  Government  has  received  the  proposal  to  enhance  the  number  of  days  of workar and their per day amount under this scheme, if so, the details thereof along with the action taken by the Government in this regard?

## ANSWER

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

- (a): The  salient  features  of  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural  Employment  Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) are detailed at Annexure.

(b): The 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.  No  State/UT-wise  (including  State  of Assam) financial allocation is made under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS.

The  details  of  funds  released  by  Central  Government  to  the  State  of  Assam  for  the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREG Scheme and expenditure incurred by the State during the last three financial years 2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21 is given below:

(Rs. in crore)

| Indicators                          | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   |
|-------------------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| Central funds released              | 1,050.37  | 1,476.24  | 2,635.91  |
| Expenditure (Including State Share) | 1,338.44  | 1,476.29  | 2,525.26  |

(Source: Management Information System)

(c): The detail of number of works taken up in Assam under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years is as under:

| Financial Year           |   2018-19 |   2019-20 |   2020-21 |
|--------------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| works taken up (in lakh) |      2.74 |      3.13 |      4.26 |

(d): Details  of  new  job  cards  issued  to  households  in  the  State  of  Assam  under  Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years is as under:

| Financial Year       | 2018-19   | 2019-20   | 2020-21   |
|----------------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| New job cards issued | 2,46,591  | 3,69,371  | 6,01,746  |

(e): Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act, 2005 is to provide at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial  year  to  every  rural  household  whose  adult  member  volunteers  to  do  unskilled  manual work. State can provide additional mandays of work over and above of 100 days from its own resources. An additional 50 days of wage employment is provided over and above 100 days in the notified drought affected areas or natural calamity areas in the country on recommendation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. At present, there is no plan to increase days of work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.

As per section 6(1) of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), the Central Government may, by notification, specify the wage rate for  its  beneficiaries.  Accordingly,  the  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  notifies  Mahatma  Gandhi NREGA wage  rate  every  year  for  States/UTs.    To  compensate  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA workers  against  inflation,  the  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  revises  the  wage  rate  every  year based on change in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour (CPI-AL).  The wage rate is made applicable from 1 st April of each Financial Year.

*********

## Annexure  referred  in  reply  to  part  (a)  of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred  Question  No.3504  dated 10.08.2021

- (i) Adult members of a rural household, willing to do unskilled manual work, may apply for registration in writing or orally to the local Gram Panchayat.
- (ii) The  Gram Panchayat after  due  verification  will  issue  a  Job  Card  free  of  cost  within  15 days.
- (iii) The worker has a right to demand and receive work within 15 days of the receipt of the application or the date of the demand in case of advance application, whichever is later, as mandated by the Act.
- (iv) In case employment is not provided within fifteen days from the date of registration of the demand for  work  or  the  date  from  which  work  has  been  demanded  in  case  of  advance applications,  whichever  is  later,  the  worker  is  legally  entitled  to  a  daily  unemployment allowance.
- (v) Preparation of Labour Budget (LB) which is an essential annual work plan document that entails planning, approval, funding and project execution modalities.
- (vi) The shelf of projects for a village will be recommended by the gram sabha and approved by  the  zilla  panchayat.  At  least  50%  of  works  will  be  allotted  to  Gram  Panchayats  for execution.
- (vii) Permissible  works  predominantly  include  water  and  soil  conservation,  afforestation  and land development works.
- (viii) A 60:40 wage and material ratio has to be maintained at the district level. No contractors and labour displacing machinery is allowed.
- (ix) The Central Government bears 100 percent wage cost of unskilled manual labour and 75 percent of the material cost including the wages of skilled and semi-skilled workers.
- (x) Social Audit has to be done by the Gram Sabha.
- (xi) Grievance  redressal  mechanisms  have  to  be  put  in  place  for  ensuring  a  responsive implementation process.
- (xii) All accounts and records relating to the Scheme should be available for public scrutiny.