Lok Sabha Question No. 2019 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-03-11
Subject: Reforms in MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Shri Kuldeep Indora

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2019 ANSWERED ON 11/03/2025

## REFORMS IN MGNREGS

## 2019. SHRI KULDEEP INDORA:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has taken any new measures fostering  innovations  and  reforms  to  enhance  the  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) effectiveness, if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether  any  steps  have  been  taken  towards  strengthening transparency  and  accountability  mechanisms  for  preventing the misuse of public funds, if so, the details thereof; and
- (c) whether the Government has taken any steps to minimize or no use of machinery at worksites under the said scheme, if so, the
- details thereof?

## ANSWER

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

(a)&(b):  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS)  provides  for  enhancement  of  livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least  100  days  of  guaranteed  wage  employment  in  every  financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled  labour.  The  Scheme  is  implemented  on  an  end-to-end integrated transaction-based MIS platform called NREGASoft through  which  all  aspects  relating  to  planning,  administrative  and technical approval of the scheme, issue of job cards, acceptance of demand,  issue  of  muster  roll,  measurement,  approval  of  payment and finally payment to the beneficiary through a DBT-PFMS platform are monitored.

Transparency  and  accountability  is  the  prime  focus  of  the scheme. Ministry of Rural Development has adopted robust process for ensuring the transparency and accountability in implementation of  the  scheme  across  the  States/UTs.  Brief  note  of  the  various monitoring  and  evaluation  arrangements  made  for  ensuring  the proper utilization of the funds released under the Scheme are given at Annexure.

(c):  Regarding  use  of  labour  displacing  machine  under  Mahatma Gandhi  NREGS,  it  is  stated  that  as  per  Para  22  of  Schedule-I  of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGA),  2005,  'as  far  as  practicable,  works executed  by  the  programme  implementation  agencies  shall  be performed by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines shall be used'.

However,  there  may  be  activities  in  executing  works  which cannot be carried out by manual labour, where use of machine may become  essential  for  maintaining  the  quality  and  durability  of works.  As  and  when  any  instance  of  use  of  labour  displacing machines comes/brought to the notice of the Ministry, such cases are inquired into in coordination with the concerned States/UTs and necessary follow up actions are ensured.

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## Annexure referred to in reply to parts (a)&(b) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No. 2019 dated 11.03.2025

- i. Direct  Benefit  Transfer  (DBT):  Direct  Benefit  Transfer  (DBT) system  in  wage  payment  has  been  adopted  under  Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS).  The  payment  of  wages  to  the  bank/  post  office accounts  of  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS  workers  is  through National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS)/Electronic Fund Management System (eFMS).
- ii. National Mobile Monitoring Service (NMMS): It enables capturing of attendance of workers  at  Mahatma  Gandhi NREGA  worksites  (except  for  individual  beneficiary  works) along  with  geo-tagged  photograph  twice  in  a  day.  This  app aids in increasing citizen oversight of the programme. This is one more step towards transparency and accountability.
3. Area Officer Monitoring Visit Application:  This App facilitates the officials of the State/UT to record their field visit findings online.  The  App  also  allows  the  officials  to  record  time stamped  and  geotagged  photograph  for  all  the  schemes launched by Department of Rural Development. Also, this App helps  in  developing  hassle-free  reporting  of  the  field  visits. This  app  records  the  field  visit  findings  and  views  the  field
- iii. visit outcome report by the senior officials.
- iv. GIS based plan- Use of Space Technology: GIS based GP level plan  (ridge  to  valley  approach)  preparation  using  Remote Sensing technology in a saturation mode for all the GPs of the country.
- v. Yuktdhara :  GIS based planning tool - To simplify the GIS based planning at GP level under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA ' Yuktdhara' a Geospatial planning portal is developed in
7. collaboration with ISRO-NRSC.
- vi. SECURE  -  Software  for  Estimate  Calculation  for  using  Rural Rates for Employment :-Application is being used for estimate the calculation of works to be undertaken under the scheme.
- vii. GeoNREGA:  the  app  has  been  developed  by  using  Space Technology to track the creation of assets by geotagging it, at 'Before', 'During' and 'After' stages of the asset creation.
10. viii.
11. JALDOOT  App:  JALDOOT  app  has  been  developed  to  enable monitoring  of  ground  water  tables  across  the  country.  The Jaldoot  app  enables  Gram  RojgarSahayak  (GRS)  to  measure

- the water level of selected wells twice a year (premonsoonand post-monsoon).
- ix. JANMANREGA app: this app  helps  in  proactive  disclosure  of information to its citizens in reference to the implementation of  Mahatma  Gandhi  NREGS.  Citizen  awareness  is  a  key  to efficient, effective, and transparent execution of the scheme.
- x. Ombudsperson App-An Ombudsperson App has been developed for smooth reporting and categorization of grievances received from  various  sources  viz.  physical,  digital  and  mass  media related to the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, easy tracking and timely passing of awards on each case as per the guidelines and easy uploading of quarterly and annual report on the website.
- xi. Social Audits: As per the mandate of the Act, the Ministry has laid emphasis on the setting up of an institutional structure at the  States/UTs  level  for  facilitating  social  audits  of  all  the Gram  Panchayats  at  least  twice  a  year.  With  the  consistent efforts  by  Ministry,  a  total  of  27  States  and  1  UT  have established Independent Social Audit Units.

Further,  monitoring  by  National  level  monitors  regular  and  special monitoring, monitoring by team of central level officers, monitoring visits by Common review Mission teams, monitoring through use of Area Officers app is being conducted for better implementation of the  programme.  Also,  State  specific  reviews  of  States  are  also undertaken from time to time.

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