Lok Sabha Question No. 322 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2016-02-25
Subject: Assessment of MGNREGS
Ministry: RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE, ARVIND GANPAT SAWANT, BHAVANA GAWALI (PATIL), M. UDHAYAKUMAR

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 322

TO BE ANSWERED ON 25.0 2.201 6

## ASSESSMENT OF MGNREGS

322. SHRI KRUPAL BALAJI TUMANE: SHRI ARVIND SAWANT: SHRIMATI BHAVANA PUNDALIKRAO GAWALI PATIL: ADV. M. UDHAYAKUMAR:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government or any of its agency has made any assessment of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) with the purpose of finding out the extent to which the said scheme has succeeded in improving the standard ofliving in rural areas, if so, the details and findings thereof, State/UT -wise;
- (b) whether the Government proposes to widen the coverage of MGN REGS and strengthen it to  enable  inclusion  of  more activities  including  agriculture  thereunder for  ru al development and increasing the permitted number of work days under the said scheme;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) the time by which such a decision is likely to be taken and implemented in order to make the said scheme more vibrant andeffective?

## ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI SUDARSHAN BHAGAT)

- ( a): Several  Studies  have  been  conducted  by  independent  research  institutions implementation ofMahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) . These studies have been published by the Ministry of Rural Development a United Nations D evelopment Programme (India). The results of the studies show that:
1. MGNREGA  appears  to  be  largely  successful  in  its  targeting. Studies  show  that MGNREGA due to its self - selecting demand driven design is able to engage wit most vulnerable and ma rginalised.
2. Several Studies also suggest that beneficiaries find the works useful; wor the  land  productivity,  helped  multi - cropping,  helped  to  manage  risks  and  reduc vulnerability.
3. The evidence on MGNREGA and its i mpact on rural labour markets are mixed.
4. The evidence that MGNREGA mitigates distress migration is limited to the and  the  eastern  contexts,  is  yet  compelling.  While  women's  participation  rates  in MGNREGA  are  satisfactory  at  the  aggregate  na tional  level  much  higher  than  th

mandatory 33%, several states need to address low women participation rate contexts.

(b)to(d): The  Ministry  has  comprehensively  revised  the  list  of  permissible underMGNREGA vide Gazette Notification dated 3.1.2014. The revised works as listed in P 4(1), Schedule I of MGNREGA, 2005 is at Annexure . The States/ UTs can take up any work out of the works listed in Schedule - 1, MGNREGA.

Vide the Notification dated 21.07.2014, amendments have been made by the Government in paragraph 4 and 20 of Schedule -I of the MGNREGA providing for at least 60% of the wor in a district in terms of cost for creation of productive assets directly linked allied activities through development of land, water and trees .

## Annexure referred  in  reply  to  part  (b  to  d) of  Lok  Sabha  Unstarred Question No. 322 dated 25.0 2.201 6

## I. Category:  A:PUBLIC  WORKS  RELATIN G  TO  NATURAL  RESOURC ES MANAGEMENT:

- (i) Water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and impro groundwater  like  underground  dykes,  earthen  dams,  stop  dams,  check with  special  focus  on  recharging  ground  water  including  drinking sources;
- (ii) Watershed management w orks such as contour tre nches, terracing, contour bunds,  boulder  checks,  gabion  structures  and  spring  shed  devel resulting in a comprehensive treatment of a watershed;
- (iii)Micro  and  minor  irrigation  works  and  creation,  renovation  and  maint of irrigation canals and drains;
- (iv) Renovation of traditional water bodies including desilting of irrigation ta and other water bodies;
- (v) Afforestation ,  tree  plantation  and  horticulture  in  common  and  forest road margins, canal bunds, tank foreshore s and coastal belts duly providin right to usufruct to the households covered in Paragraph 5; and
- (vi) Land development works in common land.

## II. Category B:COMMUNITY ASSETS OR INDIVIDUAL ASSETS FO R VULNERABLE  SECTIONS (ONLY  FOR HOUSEHOLDS  IN  PARAGR APH 5):

- (i) Improving  productivity  of  lands of  households  specified  in  Paragraph5 through  land  development  and  by  providing  suitable  infrastructu irrigation  including  dug  wells,  farm  ponds  and  other  water  har structures;
- (ii) Improving livelihoods through horticulture, sericulture, plantation, and forestry;
- (iii) Development of fallow or waste lands of households defined in Paragraph5 to bring it under cultivation;
- (iv) Unskilled  wage component  in construction  of  houses sanctioned  under  the Indira AwaasYojana or such other State or Central Government Scheme;
- (v)        Creating  infrastructure  for promotion  of  livestock such  as,  poultry  shelter, goat shelter, piggery shelter, cattle shelter and fodder troughs for cattle; and
- (vi) Creating infrastructure for promotion of fisheries such as, fish drying yards, storage  facilities,  and  promotion  of  fisheries  in  seasonal  water public land;

## III. Category C:COMMON INFRASTRUCTURE INCLU DING FOR NRLM COMPLIANT SELF HELP GROUPS:

- (i) Works for promoting agricultural productivity by creating durable infrastructure required for bio - fertilizers and post - harvest facilities including pucca storage facilities for agr icultural produce; and
- (ii) Common work - sheds for livelihood activities of self - help groups.

## IV. Category D:RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE :

- (i) Rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines, toilet  units,  Anganwadi  toilets  either  independently  or  in  converge schemes of other Government Departments to achieve 'open defecation free' status. and solid and liquid waste managemen t as per prescribed norms
- (ii) Providing all - weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages and to connect identified rural production centres to the existing pucca roa and construction of pucca internal roads or streets includi ng side drains and culverts within a village;
- (iii) Construction of play fields;
- (iv) Works for improving disaster preparedness or restoration of r ads or restoration of other essential public infrastructure i flood control and protect ion works, providing drainagein water logged areas, deepening and repairing of flood channe chaur renovation, construction of storm water drains for coastal prot
- (v) Construction  of buildings for  Gram  Panchayats,  women  self -help  groups' fed erations, cyclone shelters, Anganwadi centres, village haats and c at the village or block level.
- (vi) Construction of Food Grain Storage Structures for implementing provisions of The National Food Security Act 2013 (20 of 2013);

the

- (vii)Production of building material required for construction works under as a part of the estimate of such construction works.
- (viii) Maintenanceof rural public assets created under the Act; and
- (ix) any  other  work which  may  be  notified  by  the  Centra l  Government  in consultation with the State Government in this regard.