Lok Sabha Question No. 2970 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-18
Subject: Uniform and Fair Wages under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Dr. D Ravi Kumar

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2970 ANSWERED ON 18/03/2025

## UNIFORM AND FAIR WAGES UNDER MGNREGS

## 2970. DR. D RAVI KUMAR:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether  social  inclusion,  particularly  the  participation  of  SC and  ST  workers,  has  been  adequately  achieved  under  the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), if not, the measures taken to address this issue;
- (b) the  details  of  SC  and  ST  workers  participation  in  MGNREGS during the last five years, State-wise;
- (c) the reasons for wage disparities among different States under MGNREGS; and
- (d) the steps taken by the Government to ensure uniform and fair wages for MGNREGS workers in States?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a)& (b): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural  Employment  Guarantee Scheme  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS)  is  a  demand  driven  wage employment  Scheme  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.   It  provides livelihood security, i.e. fall back options for livelihood for the rural households,  when  no  better  employment  opportunity  is  available. Here  it  is  stated  that   percentage  of  persondays  generated  by workers belonging to SC and ST community are 36.79% for the FY 2023-24 and 36.78% for the FY 2024-25(as on 12.03.2025)

States/UTs-wise  details  of  Scheduled  Caste  (SC)  and  Scheduled Tribes  (ST)  workers  who  have  availed  the  employment  under  the Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  during  the  last  five  years  are  given  at Annexure.

(c)&(d):  As  per  Section  6  (1)  of  Mahatma  Gandhi  National  Rural Employment  Guarantee  Act  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA),  2005,  the Central Government may by notification,  specify the wage rate for its beneficiaries. Further, section 6 (2) of the Act, provides that until such time a wage rate is fixed by the Central Government in respect of  any  area  in  a  State,  the  minimum  wage  fixed  by  the  State Government under section  3  of  the  Minimum  wages  Act,  1948  for Agricultural Laborers shall be considered as the wage rate applicable  to  that  area.  Accordingly,   as  per  provision  of  Section 6(2)  of  the  Act,  from  the  inception  of  the  scheme  till  the  financial year  2010-11,  the  wage  rate  in  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  was determined on the basis of the minimum wage set by the respective State Governments. However, from the financial year 2011-12, the Government of India started determining the wage rates using the Consumer Price Index for agricultural labour (CPI-AL).

To  compensate  the  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA  workers  against inflation,  the  Ministry  of  Rural  Development  revises  the  wage  rate every financial year, based on change in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural  Labour  (CPI-AL).  The  index  is  different  for  different States/UTs  as  notified  by  Labour  Bureau  Shimla.  If  the  calculated wage rate of any State/UT is coming lower than the wage rate of previous  year,  it  is  being  protected  by  maintaining  the  previous year's wage rate. The wage rate is made applicable from 1st April of each financial year.  The overall % increase in notified wage rate for

FY 2024-25 from the FY 2023-24 is about 7 %.

However, each State/UT can provide wages over and above the wage rate notified by the Central Government.

*****

Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a)&(b) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 2970 dated 18.03.2025.

| States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS   |
|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                                            | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                            | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                            | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| Sl. No.                                                                                                                                            | SC                                                                                                                                                 | ST SC                                                                                                                                              | ST                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 1Andhra Pradesh                                                                                                                                    | 1520251                                                                                                                                            | 683453 1936193                                                                                                                                     | 758396                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 2Arunachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                 | 31                                                                                                                                                 | 167697 18                                                                                                                                          | 228736                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 3Assam                                                                                                                                             | 138970                                                                                                                                             | 499422 171360                                                                                                                                      | 561645                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 4Bihar                                                                                                                                             | 590692                                                                                                                                             | 55291 736000                                                                                                                                       | 72571                                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 5Chhattisgarh                                                                                                                                      | 459390                                                                                                                                             | 1603969 644804                                                                                                                                     | 1969234                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 6Goa                                                                                                                                               | 58                                                                                                                                                 | 610 144                                                                                                                                            | 1988                                                                                                                                               |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 7Gujarat                                                                                                                                           | 73390                                                                                                                                              | 547831 111493                                                                                                                                      | 770899                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 8Haryana                                                                                                                                           | 178975                                                                                                                                             | 0 299528                                                                                                                                           | 0                                                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 9Himachal Pradesh                                                                                                                                  | 195420                                                                                                                                             | 56112 233654                                                                                                                                       | 65096                                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 10Jammu And Kashmir                                                                                                                                | 44786                                                                                                                                              | 156521 51851                                                                                                                                       | 142573                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 11Jharkhand                                                                                                                                        | 204661                                                                                                                                             | 468640 316195                                                                                                                                      | 834155                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 12Karnataka                                                                                                                                        | 696809                                                                                                                                             | 427443 1020475                                                                                                                                     | 586791                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 13Kerala                                                                                                                                           | 243192                                                                                                                                             | 93615 324452                                                                                                                                       | 101193                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 14Ladakh                                                                                                                                           | 2                                                                                                                                                  | 36961 2                                                                                                                                            | 38047                                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 15Madhya Pradesh                                                                                                                                   | 890430                                                                                                                                             | 2220607 1405144                                                                                                                                    | 3735422                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 16Maharashtra                                                                                                                                      | 316602                                                                                                                                             | 612509 274571                                                                                                                                      | 787877                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 17Manipur                                                                                                                                          | 16060                                                                                                                                              | 240977 16634                                                                                                                                       | 252681                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 18Meghalaya                                                                                                                                        | 4362                                                                                                                                               | 653024 4206                                                                                                                                        | 694764                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 19Mizoram                                                                                                                                          | 40                                                                                                                                                 | 206883 45                                                                                                                                          | 221021                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 20Nagaland                                                                                                                                         | 50                                                                                                                                                 | 407541 48                                                                                                                                          | 400280                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 21Odisha                                                                                                                                           | 589951                                                                                                                                             | 1277448 912636                                                                                                                                     | 2038050                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 22Punjab                                                                                                                                           | 647336                                                                                                                                             | 442 798713                                                                                                                                         | 666                                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 23Rajasthan                                                                                                                                        | 1747179                                                                                                                                            | 1922432 2298583                                                                                                                                    | 2528303                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 24Sikkim                                                                                                                                           | 3299                                                                                                                                               | 28059 4023                                                                                                                                         | 32323                                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 25Tamil Nadu                                                                                                                                       | 1992368                                                                                                                                            | 89013 2373016                                                                                                                                      | 123353                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 26Telangana                                                                                                                                        | 874825                                                                                                                                             | 774854 1182553                                                                                                                                     | 1094894                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 27Tripura                                                                                                                                          | 132841                                                                                                                                             | 346584 138999                                                                                                                                      | 366389                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 28Uttar Pradesh                                                                                                                                    | 2039718                                                                                                                                            | 71299 3696502                                                                                                                                      | 126079                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 29Uttarakhand                                                                                                                                      | 114514                                                                                                                                             | 24757 151652                                                                                                                                       | 32389                                                                                                                                              |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 30West Bengal                                                                                                                                      | 2537174                                                                                                                                            | 795276 3453916                                                                                                                                     | 996411                                                                                                                                             |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 31Andaman and Nicobar                                                                                                                              | 0                                                                                                                                                  | 28 0                                                                                                                                               | 528                                                                                                                                                |                                                                                                                                                    |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and                                                                                                                         | Dadra and Nagar Haveli and                                                                                                                         |                                                                                                                                                    |                                                                                                                                                    |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 32 Daman and Diu                                                                                                                                   | 0                                                                                                                                                  | 0 0                                                                                                                                                | 0                                                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                                    |
| 33Lakshadweep 34Puducherry                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                                                  | 119 0                                                                                                                                              | 74                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                    |
| Total                                                                                                                                              | Total                                                                                                                                              | 61 16830                                                                                                                                           | 90                                                                                                                                                 |                                                                                                                                                    |

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| SI. No                           | the               | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five years.   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five years.   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five years.   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five years.   | States/UTs-wise details of Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) workers who have availed the employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five years.   |
|----------------------------------|-------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SI. No                           | the               | FY 2021-22                                                                                                                                                                 | FY 2021-22                                                                                                                                                                 | FY 2022-23                                                                                                                                                                 | FY 2022-23                                                                                                                                                                 | 2023-24                                                                                                                                                                    |
| SI. No                           | the               | SC ST                                                                                                                                                                      |                                                                                                                                                                            | SC ST                                                                                                                                                                      | SC                                                                                                                                                                         | ST                                                                                                                                                                         |
| 1                                | Andhra Pradesh    | 1884083 737056                                                                                                                                                             | 1840624                                                                                                                                                                    | 737309                                                                                                                                                                     | 1831743                                                                                                                                                                    | 774068                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 2                                | Arunachal Pradesh | 15                                                                                                                                                                         | 262430                                                                                                                                                                     | 43 270957                                                                                                                                                                  | 59                                                                                                                                                                         | 266069                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 3                                | Assam             | 180273 668252                                                                                                                                                              | 157086                                                                                                                                                                     | 517900                                                                                                                                                                     | 189892                                                                                                                                                                     | 558255                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 4 Bihar                          | 680904            | 75084                                                                                                                                                                      | 953072                                                                                                                                                                     | 97198                                                                                                                                                                      | 1082359                                                                                                                                                                    | 108882                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 5 Chhattisgarh                   | 568592            | 1860154                                                                                                                                                                    | 458563                                                                                                                                                                     | 1645075                                                                                                                                                                    | 444059                                                                                                                                                                     | 1483216                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 6 Goa                            | 125               | 1286                                                                                                                                                                       | 35                                                                                                                                                                         | 1650                                                                                                                                                                       | 10                                                                                                                                                                         | 1014                                                                                                                                                                       |
| 7 Gujarat                        | 103601            | 780572                                                                                                                                                                     | 84190                                                                                                                                                                      | 718255                                                                                                                                                                     | 82218                                                                                                                                                                      | 700700                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 8 Haryana                        | 276038            | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 244423                                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 281464                                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                                          |
| 9 Himachal Pradesh               | 261316            | 64661                                                                                                                                                                      | 232285                                                                                                                                                                     | 60777                                                                                                                                                                      | 252811                                                                                                                                                                     | 60271                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 10 Jammu and Kashmir             | 49762             | 140076                                                                                                                                                                     | 41224                                                                                                                                                                      | 120100                                                                                                                                                                     | 39777                                                                                                                                                                      | 113509                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 11 Jharkhand                     | 313764            | 764268                                                                                                                                                                     | 262483                                                                                                                                                                     | 618527                                                                                                                                                                     | 243904                                                                                                                                                                     | 636454                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 12 Karnataka                     | 1104080           | 661950                                                                                                                                                                     | 950808                                                                                                                                                                     | 611788                                                                                                                                                                     | 968654                                                                                                                                                                     | 630986                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 13 Kerala                        | 331165            | 107293                                                                                                                                                                     | 317990                                                                                                                                                                     | 106011                                                                                                                                                                     | 297913                                                                                                                                                                     | 104441                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 14 Ladakh                        | 0                 | 37451                                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 39176                                                                                                                                                                      | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 36516                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 15 Madhya Pradesh                | 1247934           | 3361603                                                                                                                                                                    | 1040885                                                                                                                                                                    | 2559725                                                                                                                                                                    | 829273                                                                                                                                                                     | 2238821                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 16 Maharashtra                   | 317364            | 755301                                                                                                                                                                     | 312768                                                                                                                                                                     | 693878                                                                                                                                                                     | 320955                                                                                                                                                                     | 706217                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 17 Manipur                       | 16071             | 251277                                                                                                                                                                     | 9470                                                                                                                                                                       | 204317                                                                                                                                                                     | 13652                                                                                                                                                                      | 217623                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 18 Meghalaya                     | 4278              | 676791                                                                                                                                                                     | 3411                                                                                                                                                                       | 604573                                                                                                                                                                     | 4129                                                                                                                                                                       | 571842                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 19 Mizoram                       | 37                | 211985                                                                                                                                                                     | 51                                                                                                                                                                         | 217437                                                                                                                                                                     | 56                                                                                                                                                                         | 221965                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 20 Nagaland                      | 26                | 454451                                                                                                                                                                     | 1                                                                                                                                                                          | 485832                                                                                                                                                                     | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 462306                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 21 Odisha                        | 791931            | 1824075                                                                                                                                                                    | 755436                                                                                                                                                                     | 1694101                                                                                                                                                                    | 746608                                                                                                                                                                     | 1582642                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 22 Punjab                        | 741311            | 655                                                                                                                                                                        | 741369                                                                                                                                                                     | 309                                                                                                                                                                        | 742747                                                                                                                                                                     | 311                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 23 Rajasthan                     | 2061567           | 2327879                                                                                                                                                                    | 1836154                                                                                                                                                                    | 2085612                                                                                                                                                                    | 1776887                                                                                                                                                                    | 2037447                                                                                                                                                                    |
| 24 Sikkim                        | 3786              | 31270                                                                                                                                                                      | 3648                                                                                                                                                                       | 29118                                                                                                                                                                      | 3580                                                                                                                                                                       | 28701                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 25 Tamil Nadu                    | 2366394           | 130906                                                                                                                                                                     | 2197739                                                                                                                                                                    | 120923                                                                                                                                                                     | 2239923                                                                                                                                                                    | 129506                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 26 Telangana                     | 1047938           | 993140                                                                                                                                                                     | 952232                                                                                                                                                                     | 942074                                                                                                                                                                     | 850827                                                                                                                                                                     | 858181                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 27 Tripura                       | 140503            | 378397                                                                                                                                                                     | 136375                                                                                                                                                                     | 370085                                                                                                                                                                     | 137059                                                                                                                                                                     | 382759                                                                                                                                                                     |
| 28 Uttar Pradesh                 | 3021446           | 111155                                                                                                                                                                     | 2745096                                                                                                                                                                    | 92697                                                                                                                                                                      | 2498828                                                                                                                                                                    | 81751                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 29 Uttarakhand                   | 134466            | 27765                                                                                                                                                                      | 117661                                                                                                                                                                     | 23488                                                                                                                                                                      | 109769                                                                                                                                                                     | 24998                                                                                                                                                                      |
| 30 West Bengal                   | 3071975           | 908445                                                                                                                                                                     | 487412                                                                                                                                                                     | 171868                                                                                                                                                                     | 1044                                                                                                                                                                       | 433                                                                                                                                                                        |
| 31 Andaman And Nicobar           | 0                 | 389                                                                                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 594                                                                                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 267                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman |                   |                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                            |                                                                                                                                                                            |
| 32 and Diu                       | 0                 | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 2104                                                                                                                                                                       |
| 33 Lakshadweep                   | 0                 | 24                                                                                                                                                                         | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 101                                                                                                                                                                        | 0                                                                                                                                                                          | 77                                                                                                                                                                         |
| 34 Puducherry                    | 12223             | 89                                                                                                                                                                         | 13445                                                                                                                                                                      | 100                                                                                                                                                                        | 17001                                                                                                                                                                      | 172                                                                                                                                                                        |
| Total                            | 20732968          | 18606130                                                                                                                                                                   | 16895979                                                                                                                                                                   | 15841555                                                                                                                                                                   | 16007201                                                                                                                                                                   | 15022504                                                                                                                                                                   |

*****