10 years of MGNREGA - An Assessment

What is MGNREGA? WHAT KIND OF WORK?

Indian Labour law
Social security measure
Aims to guarantee right to work
Work to adult members of
any rural household
At statutory minimum wage
100 days of employment
Public work related unskilled
manual work, divided in 10 broad
categories
65% of the works taken up under
the program are linked to
agriculture and allied activities

WHO MONITORS THE

SCHEME? COVERAGE?
Ministry of Rural Since 2008, entire country
Development (MRD), except for districts having
World Development Report 2014 has
in association with 100 % urban population
described the MGNREGA as a
state governments
"stellar example of rural development".

Rural wages
BENEFITS more than half the
started climbing 57% jobs going to women
workers (57%)

decline in migration
to urban centres almost a third of jobs to
1/3
members of SCs & STs

According to NCAER study, poverty reduced poverty level among

lowered by almost 32 per cent SCs & STs by 38 % and 28 %
between 2004-05 to 2011-12 respectively

gram sabhas have the

EMPOWERED mandate to plan
their own works increased the number of days
GRAM water is available in a year
PANCHAYATS improvement in
untied funds to quantity of water available for
execute these works water-related assets irrigation
created under MGNREGA changes in crop patterns
revitalized the labour market in rural areas
increased area under cultivation
MGNREGA as a safety net

CHALLENGES
large-scale delay Based on CAG report
in payments of wages
from 2009-10 to 2011-12, only 20 % of total funds allocated
under the scheme has been released for Bihar, Maharashtra
and Uttar Pradesh where almost 46 % of India's rural
low
poor reside
skill development
found rampant corruption and swindling of public funds

around Rs 2,252 crore of inadmissible work was

Asset creation undertaken under MGNREGA including construction of
is not productive earthen roads, bathing Ghats, raised platforms for cattle etc.

WAY FORWARD Skilling of the MGNREGA workers

in conjunction with the Deen Dayal
Upadhyaya Grameen Kaushalya
CONVERGENCE with related programmes in
Yojana (DDU-GKY) and NRLM - to
the department of agriculture, irrigation, animal
acquire vertical mobility
husbandry and road transport

Linking with the

Socio-Economic Caste
Census to
Develop a cadre of trainers/experts for
ensure better targeting
effective implementation

Use of IT and community-based

accountability mechanisms
like social audits to
fight corruption