Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee

1. MGNREGA Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

2. History of MNREGA MNREGA was set up on Feb 2, 2006 from district Anantapur in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India and 200 real "poorest" zones of the nation. The Act was applied in phased way – 130 zones were included in the year of 2007–08. With its propagate over 625 zones across the nation, the leading program of the UPA Govt has the prospective to increase the buying power of non-urban inadequate, decrease problems migration and to make useful resources in non-urban Indian.

3. Aim of MNREGA Expanding earning sources Strengthening pure natural resources under control via works that deal with causes of serious hardship like famine, deforestation and ground break down and so motivate maintainable growth . Strengthening grassroots procedures of democracy Infusing visibility and responsibility in government Strengthening high decentralization as well as deepening procedures of democracy by providing a critical part to the local Panchayati Raj, Organizations in planning, tracking and execution .

4. Salient Features of the Act 2.1. Registration (a) Adult members of a rural household willing to do unskilled manual work,may apply for registration either in writing, or orally to the local Gram Panchayat (GP). (b) The unit for registration is a household. (c) Under the Act, each household is entitled to a 100 days of employment every year. 2.2 . Job Card ( a) After due verification of place of residence and age of the member/s (only adult members are eligible for employment), the registered household is issued a Job Card (JC). (b) A JC is to be issued within 15 days of registration. Job Card forms the basis of identification for demanding employment. 2.3 . Application for Work ( a) A written application seeking work is to be made to the GP or Block Office, stating the time and duration for which work is sought. (b) The GP will issue a dated receipt of the written application for employment, against which the guarantee of providing employment within 15 days operates. 2.4. Unemployment allowance: In case employment is not provided within 15 days, the state (as per the Act) will pay an unemployment allowance to the beneficiary.

5. Salient Features of the Act 2.5. Provision and Execution of Work (a) Work is provided within 5 kilometres ( kms ) radius of the village (b) In case, work is provided beyond 5 kms , extra wages of 10 per cent are payable to meet additional transportation and living expenses. (c) Priority is awarded to women, such that at least one-third of the beneficiaries under the Scheme are women. (d) At least 50 per cent of works, in terms of cost, are to be executed by the GPs. (e) The cost of material component of projects including the wages of the skilled and semi-skilled workers taken up under the Scheme shall not exceed 40 percent of the total project costs. (f) Contractors and use of labour displacing machinery are prohibited. (g) Work site facilities such as crèche, drinking water, shade have to be provided. 2.6. Wages (a) Wages are to be paid as per the State-wise Government of India ( GoI ) notified MGNREGA wages. (b) Wages are also to be paid according to piece rate, as per the Schedule of Rates ( SoRs ). (c) Payment of wages has to be done on a weekly basis and not beyond a fortnight in any case. (d) Payment of wages is mandatorily done through bank/post office beneficiary accounts.

6. 2.7. Planning (a) Plans and decisions regarding the nature and choice of works to be undertake in a FY along with the order in which each work is to be taken up, site selection, etc. are all to be made in the Gram Sabha (GS) and ratified by the GP. (b) The district’s shelf of works to provide employment are to be selected from the list of permissible works . (c) The different categories of permissible works are as follows : i. Water Conservation and water harvesting including contour trenches, contour bunds,boulder checks, gabion structures, underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams and springshed development; ii. Drought Proofing including plantation and afforestation; iii. Irrigation canals including micro and minor irrigation works; iv. Provision of irrigation facility, dug out farm pond, horticulture, plantation, farm bunding and land development; v. Renovation of traditional water bodies including desilting of tanks; vi. Land Development; vii. Flood control and protection works including drainage in water logged areas including deepening and repairing of flood channels, chaur renovation, construction of storm water drains for coastal protection; viii. Rural connectivity to provide all weather access, including culverts and roads within a village , wherever necessary; ix. Construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra as Knowledge Resource Centre at the Block level and as Gram Panchayat Bhawan at the Gram Panchayat level; x. Agriculture related works, such as, NADEP composting, vermi -composting, liquid biomanures ; Salient Features of the Act

7. xi. Livestock related works, such as, poultry shelter, goat shelter, construction of pucca floor, urine tank and fodder trough for cattle, azolla as cattle-feed supplement; xii. Fisheries related works, such as, fisheries in seasonal water bodies on public land; xiii. Works in coastal areas, such as, fish drying yards, belt vegetation ; xiv. Rural drinking water related works, such as, soak pits, recharge pits; xv. Rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines, school toilet units , anganwadi toilets, solid and liquid waste management; xv(a) Construction of anganwadi centres. xv(b) Construction of play fields. xvi. Any other work which may be notified by the Central Government in consultation with the State Government. Salient Features of the Act

8. 3. Funding 3.1 The Central Government bears the costs on the following items: • The entire cost of wages of unskilled manual workers. • 75% of the cost of material, wages of skilled and semi-skilled workers. • Administrative expenses as may be determined by the Central Government, which will include, inter alia, the salary and the allowances of the Programme Officer and his supporting staff and work site facilities. • Expenses of the Central Employment Guarantee Council . The State Government bears the costs on the following items: • 25% of the cost of material, wages of skilled and semi-skilled workers . Unemployment allowance payable in case the State Government cannot provide wage employment on time. • Administrative expenses of the State Employment Guarantee Council . 3.2. State Employment Guarantee Fund (SEGF ) The Ministry has stressed on the formation of State Employment Guarantee Funds (SEGF). Eighteen States have constituted SEGF and have dedicated account for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. In remaining States where SEGF has not been constituted, each District has a dedicated account for Mahatma Gandhi NREGA funds. Proposals are submitted based on clearly delineated guidelines so that funds may be distributed efficiently at each level, and adequate funds may be available to respond to demand. Under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, fund releases are based on an appraisal of both financial and physical indicators of outcomes. Salient Features of the Act

9. Wage rate in different states 236 155 Effective from April 1 st , 2014

10. Panchayati raj or collector raj Universally recognized that for ensuring peoples participation in governance and holistic development, the best instrumentality is local government. Mahatma Gandhi was the strongest advocate of Panchayats . 73 Constitution Amendment Bill 1992 enshrine the essential features of panchayats in the constitution. 20 years after we are nowhere. Jawaharlal Nehru coined this term, Panchayati Raj. 1957 to 1964, he fought to establish it but after his death ministry for Panchayati Raj and cooperation was abolished in 1966 at one stroke, without even a whimper of protest.

11. PDS or Direct Cash Transfers