Mgnregs

Too early for mandatory Aadhaar based payment system in MGNREGS: Parl panel

A Parliamentary Panel has recommended that the Rural Development Ministry's Aadhaar Based Payment Bridge System (ABPS) for making payments under MGNREGS should not be made compulsory. In a report tabled in Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj also said alternative mechanism should always operate to ensure that the primary goal of the scheme to provide wages does not get defeated due to lack of proper implementation of technology. The Committee pulled up the government on low wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and recommended a better inflation linked index for payment of wages to the workers. The Committee noted that the APBS has been made mandatory since January 1, 2024. "While accepting the gains of APBS, the Committee is of the view that it is too early to make it mandatory as the problems relating to Aadhar seeding still have not been resolved leading to exclusion of lakhs of workers

Parliamentary panel raises concern over low MGNREGS wages, asks for raise

Flagging low wages under MGNREGS, a Parliamentary panel has questioned why the remuneration under the flagship scheme was not linked to an inflation index. It has also urged the Union rural development ministry for devising a mechanism for raising wages under the scheme. Headed by Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, in a report tabled in the Lok Sabha on Thursday, rapped the ministry and said there had been no noticeable change in its stance. It has been sending "stereotype responses" regarding revision of wages, the report said. "Rising inflation and cost of living, be it urban or rural setting, has risen manifold and is evident to all. Even at this moment, going by the notified wage rates of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), per day wage rate of around Rs 200 in many states defies any logic when the same state has much higher labour rates," the panel said in its report.

Activists counter govt claims of timely MGNREGS payments, demand a raise

Countering the Union rural development ministry's claims of MGNREGS wages being paid on time, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha on Wednesday alleged the payments to workers' accounts were being delayed by "weeks or months". The organisation -- a national platform of workers' collectives, unions, organisations and individuals working on the flagship rural employment scheme -- also announced a two-day protest at Jantar Mantar, starting Thursday. In a statement, the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha said economist Jean Dreze had pointed out that it was only Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs) that were generated on time, even as crediting of workers' accounts was delayed by weeks or months. The statement said Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers debunked the government's claims that the budget for the scheme had been hiked. They also demanded that wages under the scheme be increased to Rs 800 per day. According to the statement, Jharkhand NREGA Watch's Afsana Khatun said

Work demand under MGNREGS falls for 12th consecutive month in October

For the 12th consecutive month, work demand under the MGNREGS fell in October, reflecting a shift in the rural economy toward more lucrative job opportunities

Rural safety net: Dependence on MGNREGS needs to be permanently reduced

The scheme undoubtedly remains a robust welfare tool to support incomes and livelihood in rural areas. However, it should be the last option for people seeking employment

MGNREGS demand-driven scheme, not possible to fix enrolment targets: Govt

The rural development ministry on Sunday dismissed reports that enrolment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is going down and said it is not possible to fix targets for total enrolment in the demand-driven scheme as the financial year is still going on. According to a report of Libtech India on the implementation of the MGNREGS, there has been an 8-per cent drop in the number of active workers under the scheme compared to last year. The report also said there has been a net deletion of 39 lakh workers, raising concerns about wrongful deletions. While the names of 84.8 lakh workers were deleted, only 45.4 lakh workers were added under the scheme. "Since MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and current FY is still ongoing, hence, it is not possible to fix an exact target of person days generation. However, the states/UTs can send proposals for labour budget revision as per the locally felt needs," the ministry said in a statement. "It may be .

Over 8.4 million MGNREGS workers' registration 'deleted' in six months

While 8.4 million workers were removed from the initiative, over 4.5 million new workers were added during this period, a report by Lib Tech, a consortium of academics and activists, claimed

Is the drop in MGNREGA work demand a sign of improving rural job markets?

Civil society activists and people working on the ground, however, believe that the decline in work demand is artificially created due to fund shortages for the programme

Statsguru: Monsoon migration lowers MGNREGS work demand in August

Overall demand for work under the scheme has dipped since the pandemic when over 133 million people sought work. In FY24, the demand had declined to 93.2 million individuals

Demand for work under MGNREGS drops for 10th consecutive month in August

Nearly 19 million individuals requested work under MGNREGS, showing a 17 per cent decrease compared to the same period last year

FY25 begins with tepid work demand under MGNREGA, shows govt data

In April 2024, around 21.51 million households sought work under the scheme, which was 10.59 per cent lower than the number of households who sought work under the scheme in April 2023

A better way to fix MGNREGS

The problems of the rural job scheme should be tackled through stricter monitoring, not by burden-sharing

Bengal, UP, Rajasthan availed maximum work under MGNREGA in NDA regime

These states had the highest percentage of households who availed work under the scheme in the last 10 years in proportion to the total households availing employment under the scheme

Over 80 million people worked under MGNREGA in FY24, shows data

It is the lowest number of beneficiaries to have accessed employment under the scheme since the Covid-19 pandemic

Revised MGNREGS wage rates below Rs 400/day promised by Congress: Ramesh

The Congress on Thursday attacked the Modi government after it notified revised MGNREGS wages for 2024-25, saying the daily wage rates in all states are well below the Rs 400 a day promised by the party under its 'Shramik NYAY' guarantees. The Union government has reportedly notified the revised wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). In a post on X, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said MGNREGA wages are revised annually with effect from April 1. "For 2024/25, the Modi Government has just announced revised MGNREGA wages. Leaving aside the issue of whether this violates the spirit of the Model Code of Conduct in view of the forthcoming elections, the announced daily wage rates in ALL states are well below the Rs 400 a day, which is part of the 'Shramik NYAY' Guarantees of the Indian National Congress," he said. The Congress' 'Shramik NYAY' announcement guarantees a nationwide minimum wage of Rs 400 per day to put an end to wage

Govt seeks Rs 78k cr cash outgo in second supplementary demand for grants

The second tranche of supplementary grants by various departments and ministries includes Rs 10,798 crore expenditure towards the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

FM Sitharaman's interim Budget tries to focus on achieving long-term growth

The key change on the expenditure side is the focus on outcomes as well as satu­ration of beneficiaries

Govt spending must pursue evidence-based policy for best outcomes

It's important to see the quality of spending and missing gaps in resource provision

PM-KISAN to Ayushman Bharat: Key changes possible in interim Budget

Interim Budget: Nirmala Sitharaman has said that there may not be big announcements. However, various reports have suggested that there may be some changes in many of the Centre's schemes

Centre to exempt Aadhaar-payment to MGNREGA workers in some cases

Work demand drops for a second month in Dec