Lok Sabha Question No. 438 (STARRED), answered on 2025-04-01
Subject: Beneficiaries under MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Adv Dean Kuriakose

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

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 438 ANSWERED ON 01/04/2025

## BENEFICIARIES UNDER MGNREGS

## *438. ADV DEAN KURIAKOSE:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whetherlabourers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) have been declining in the State of Kerala;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, district-wise;
- (c) the  total  number  of  beneficiaries  of  Kerala  under  MGNREGS during the last five years, district-wise;
- (d) whether  there  is  a  demand  from  the  dairy  sector  to  include labourers engaged under the cattle fodder production as well as the related dairy sector to be included under MGNREGS; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI SHIVRAJ SINGH CHOUHAN)

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

STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO PARTS (a) TO (e) OF LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 438 FOR 01.04.2025.

(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  is  a  fall  back option  which  provide  livelihood  security  to  the  rural  households, when no better employment opportunity is available. Details of yearwise  registered  workers  in  Kerala  under  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS during the last three financial years and the  current financial year 2024-25 (as on 26.03.2025) is given below:

| Year-wise registered workers in Kerala under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years and current financial year 2024-25 (as on 26.03.2025)   | Year-wise registered workers in Kerala under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years and current financial year 2024-25 (as on 26.03.2025)   | Year-wise registered workers in Kerala under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years and current financial year 2024-25 (as on 26.03.2025)   |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Financial year                                                                                                                                                  | Number of registered workers since inception (in lakh)                                                                                                          | Workers registered during the financial year (in lakh)                                                                                                          |
| 2021-22                                                                                                                                                         | 63.57                                                                                                                                                           | 3.47                                                                                                                                                            |
| 2022-23                                                                                                                                                         | 62.52                                                                                                                                                           | 1.81                                                                                                                                                            |
| 2023-24                                                                                                                                                         | 58.28                                                                                                                                                           | 1.50                                                                                                                                                            |
| 2024-25 (as on 26.03.25)                                                                                                                                        | 57.24                                                                                                                                                           | 1.53                                                                                                                                                            |

(As per NREGASoft)

District-wise  details  of  registered  workers  in  Kerala  under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during  the  last  three  financial  years  and the  current  financial  year  2024-25  (as  on  26.03.2025)  is  given  at Annexure-I.

- (c): District-wise  number  of  workers  who  availed  employment  in Kerala under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24 are given at Annexure-II.

(d)& (e): As per Section 29 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment  Guarantee  Act  (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA),  Central Government  may  add  new  works  to  the  permissible  list  of  works under Schedule 1 of the Act. The revision of permissible works is a regular  exercise  under  the  Scheme.  As  and  when  any  request  for inclusion  of  any  work  in  the  list  of  permissible  activities  under

Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  are   received  from  State  Government  or need for the same is felt by the Central Government,  the matter  is examined on merit and a decision  is taken.

Under  the  Scheme,  several  activities  related  to  the  dairy sector, including the creation of infrastructure for livestock promotion, such as poultry shelters, goat shelters, piggery shelters, cattle shelters, and fodder troughs for cattle are already covered. Additionally,  the  development  of  silvipasture  grasslands  for  fodder on  individual  and  community  lands  is  an  allowable  activity  under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. These provisions facilitate the construction  of  assets  that  support  livestock  rearing  and  fodder production, thereby benefiting the dairy sector.

Here,  it  is  mentioned  that  as  per  para  4(3)  of  Schedule-I  of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, "works which  are  non-tangible,  not  measurable,  repetitive  in  nature  such as,  removing  grass,  pebbles,  agricultural  operations,  shall  not  be taken up under the scheme".

*****

## Annexure-I

## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a)&(b) of LokSabha Starred Question No. 438 dated 01.04.2025.

District-wise details of registered workers in Kerala under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during  the  last  three  financial  years  and  current  financial  year  2024-25  (as  on 26.03.2025).

|                      |                      | 2021-22                                      | 2021-22                                      | 2022-23                                      | 2022-23                                      |
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| SI. No.              | Districts            | Number of registered workers since inception | Workers registered during the financial year | Number of registered workers since inception | Workers registered during the financial year |
| 1Alappuzha           | 1Alappuzha           | 520938                                       | 17201                                        | 489340                                       | 8406                                         |
| 2Ernakulam           | 2Ernakulam           | 408249                                       | 21721                                        | 401647                                       | 9708                                         |
| 3Idukki              | 3Idukki              | 387650                                       | 17833                                        | 387954                                       | 8686                                         |
| 4Kannur              | 4Kannur              | 387676                                       | 25876                                        | 376771                                       | 12872                                        |
| 5Kasargod            | 5Kasargod            | 274655                                       | 20800                                        | 276518                                       | 9448                                         |
| 6Kollam              | 6Kollam              | 678381                                       | 35971                                        | 662036                                       | 17770                                        |
| 7Kottayam            | 7Kottayam            | 331014                                       | 17892                                        | 306318                                       | 9129                                         |
| 8Kozhikode           | 8Kozhikode           | 575888                                       | 29165                                        | 578847                                       | 14032                                        |
| 9Malappuram          | 9Malappuram          | 604327                                       | 47666                                        | 615464                                       | 23449                                        |
| 10Palakkad           | 10Palakkad           | 549584                                       | 30476                                        | 553544                                       | 16228                                        |
| 11Pathanamthitta     | 11Pathanamthitta     | 276051                                       | 12681                                        | 248930                                       | 6994                                         |
| 12Thiruvananthapuram | 12Thiruvananthapuram | 692421                                       | 33336                                        | 668220                                       | 18568                                        |
| 13Thrissur           | 13Thrissur           | 402271                                       | 24364                                        | 424921                                       | 20189                                        |
| 14Wayanad            | 267811               |                                              | 11649                                        | 261145                                       | 5205                                         |
| Total                | Total                | 6356916                                      | 346631                                       | 6251655                                      | 180684                                       |

|                      |                      | 2023-24                                      | 2023-24                                      | 2024-25 (as on 26.03.25)                     | 2024-25 (as on 26.03.25)                     |
|----------------------|----------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| SI. No.              | Districts            | Number of registered workers since inception | Workers registered during the financial year | Number of registered workers since inception | Workers registered during the financial year |
| 1Alappuzha           | 1Alappuzha           | 423266                                       | 6543                                         | 394466                                       | 6857                                         |
| 2Ernakulam           | 2Ernakulam           | 382709                                       | 7983                                         | 377335                                       | 7813                                         |
| 3Idukki              | 3Idukki              | 374382                                       | 7532                                         | 359739                                       | 6643                                         |
| 4Kannur              | 4Kannur              | 348304                                       | 11285                                        | 348114                                       | 13440                                        |
| 5Kasargod            | 5Kasargod            | 269197                                       | 7791                                         | 248539                                       | 8177                                         |
| 6Kollam              | 6Kollam              | 587668                                       | 14017                                        | 585426                                       | 14924                                        |
| 7Kottayam            | 7Kottayam            | 285560                                       | 7119                                         | 289612                                       | 6484                                         |
| 8Kozhikode           | 8Kozhikode           | 530997                                       | 12199                                        | 509325                                       | 11359                                        |
| 9Malappuram          | 9Malappuram          | 605741                                       | 20764                                        | 583397                                       | 18862                                        |
| 10Palakkad           | 10Palakkad           | 543847                                       | 15949                                        | 550125                                       | 18192                                        |
| 11Pathanamthitta     | 11Pathanamthitta     | 247890                                       | 5005                                         | 250273                                       | 5732                                         |
| 12Thiruvananthapuram | 12Thiruvananthapuram | 558361                                       | 13694                                        | 567127                                       | 15742                                        |
| 13Thrissur           | 13Thrissur           | 428639                                       | 14891                                        | 426379                                       | 13791                                        |
| 14Wayanad            | 14Wayanad            | 240990                                       | 4838                                         | 234390                                       | 5375                                         |
| Total                | Total                | 5827551                                      | 149610                                       | 5724247                                      | 153391                                       |

(As per NREGASoft)

## Annexure-II

## Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of LokSabha Starred Question No. 438 dated 01.04.2025.

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| District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   | District-wise number of workers who availed employment in Kerala State under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last five financial years from 2019-20 to 2023-24   |
|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| SI. No.                                                                                                                                                          | Districts                                                                                                                                                        | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                                          | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                                          | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                                          | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                                          | Workers availed employment (in numbers)                                                                                                                          |
|                                                                                                                                                                  |                                                                                                                                                                  | 2019-20                                                                                                                                                          | 2020-21                                                                                                                                                          | 2021-22                                                                                                                                                          | 2022-23                                                                                                                                                          | 2023-24                                                                                                                                                          |
| 1                                                                                                                                                                | Alappuzha                                                                                                                                                        | 160003                                                                                                                                                           | 177088                                                                                                                                                           | 176534                                                                                                                                                           | 170869                                                                                                                                                           | 163640                                                                                                                                                           |
| 2                                                                                                                                                                | Ernakulam                                                                                                                                                        | 89630                                                                                                                                                            | 98435                                                                                                                                                            | 96541                                                                                                                                                            | 87611                                                                                                                                                            | 80259                                                                                                                                                            |
| 3                                                                                                                                                                | Idukki                                                                                                                                                           | 152107                                                                                                                                                           | 164340                                                                                                                                                           | 158195                                                                                                                                                           | 142027                                                                                                                                                           | 131981                                                                                                                                                           |
| 4                                                                                                                                                                | Kannur                                                                                                                                                           | 87656                                                                                                                                                            | 107240                                                                                                                                                           | 113071                                                                                                                                                           | 100850                                                                                                                                                           | 99144                                                                                                                                                            |
| 5                                                                                                                                                                | Kasargod                                                                                                                                                         | 77238                                                                                                                                                            | 92685                                                                                                                                                            | 97817                                                                                                                                                            | 90416                                                                                                                                                            | 85992                                                                                                                                                            |
| 6                                                                                                                                                                | Kollam                                                                                                                                                           | 163928                                                                                                                                                           | 184249                                                                                                                                                           | 191001                                                                                                                                                           | 174240                                                                                                                                                           | 163286                                                                                                                                                           |
| 7                                                                                                                                                                | Kottayam                                                                                                                                                         | 69871                                                                                                                                                            | 85102                                                                                                                                                            | 82550                                                                                                                                                            | 72681                                                                                                                                                            | 65680                                                                                                                                                            |
| 8                                                                                                                                                                | Kozhikode                                                                                                                                                        | 157114                                                                                                                                                           | 188219                                                                                                                                                           | 192610                                                                                                                                                           | 169166                                                                                                                                                           | 165597                                                                                                                                                           |
| 9                                                                                                                                                                | Malappuram                                                                                                                                                       | 96520                                                                                                                                                            | 106373                                                                                                                                                           | 108865                                                                                                                                                           | 105316                                                                                                                                                           | 103072                                                                                                                                                           |
| 10                                                                                                                                                               | Palakkad                                                                                                                                                         | 176360                                                                                                                                                           | 194360                                                                                                                                                           | 192841                                                                                                                                                           | 182490                                                                                                                                                           | 173531                                                                                                                                                           |
| 11                                                                                                                                                               | Pathanamthitta                                                                                                                                                   | 59518                                                                                                                                                            | 68374                                                                                                                                                            | 66198                                                                                                                                                            | 61936                                                                                                                                                            | 56647                                                                                                                                                            |
| 12                                                                                                                                                               | Thiruvananthapuram                                                                                                                                               | 197636                                                                                                                                                           | 223101                                                                                                                                                           | 224023                                                                                                                                                           | 210295                                                                                                                                                           | 194314                                                                                                                                                           |
| 13                                                                                                                                                               | Thrissur                                                                                                                                                         | 94697                                                                                                                                                            | 113193                                                                                                                                                           | 116493                                                                                                                                                           | 113635                                                                                                                                                           | 103838                                                                                                                                                           |
| 14                                                                                                                                                               | Wayanad                                                                                                                                                          | 71851                                                                                                                                                            | 79895                                                                                                                                                            | 82256                                                                                                                                                            | 77091                                                                                                                                                            | 74641                                                                                                                                                            |
|                                                                                                                                                                  | Total                                                                                                                                                            | 1654129                                                                                                                                                          | 1882654                                                                                                                                                          | 1898995                                                                                                                                                          | 1758623                                                                                                                                                          | 1661622                                                                                                                                                          |

*****