Parliamentary panel recommends increasing wages under MGNREGA

It suggested that the number of minimum guaranteed working days under the scheme be increased to 150 days and called for parity in wages that the states pay under MNREGA

A parliamentary panel has recommended increasing the wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and linking the wage rate to a “suitable index commensurate with the existing inflation rate.” It suggested that the number of minimum guaranteed working days under the scheme be increased to 150 days and called for parity in the wages that the states pay under MGNREGA.

 

In its first report of the 18th Lok Sabha, tabled on Thursday, the parliamentary committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, headed by Congress’ Koraput MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, said that the daily wage rate of Rs 200 in several states “defies any logic when the same state has much higher labour rates.” The panel’s report termed it inexplicable as to why the wages under MGNREGA still cannot be linked to a suitable inflation index. It “unequivocally” asked the government to “revisit” its stand and devise a mechanism for raising the wages under MGNREGA.

 

 

The panel suggested amending the law to usher in a mandatory increase in the number of guaranteed days of work under MGNREGA from 100 to 150 days in order to make it applicable for the entire country, so that the demand of needy beneficiaries may not hinge upon the will of the state governments. It asked the Department of Rural Development to review its consultative mechanisms in such a way that local MPs are mandatorily kept in the loop of advisory setups for the effective implementation of the schemes.