Question : MGNREGS

(a) whether a country-wide coalition of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers and activists have raised the issue of the steady weakening of the employment security scheme and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether MGNREGS is leading to low employment generation on the ground, with only 46 days of work being provided per employed household on an average during the last five years against the promised 100 days of work under the Act even though there has been spurt in demand due to distress triggered by droughts, floods and post-demonetisation reverse migration;

(c) if so, the details thereof and the reasons therefor along with the measures being taken by the Union Government to provide 100 days of employment to the rural poor;

(d) whether some States including Andhra Pradesh, have negative balance of payment and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the Corrective measures taken by the Government in this regard, State/UTwise?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a): The Ministry is not aware about a country-wide coalition of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workers and activists raising the issue of the steady weakening of the employment security scheme.

(b) & (c): The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 provides for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The demand for work itself is influenced by various factors such as rain-fall pattern, availability of alternative and remunerative employment opportunities outside MGNREGA and prevailing unskilled wage rates.
The Government is actively engaged with the State Government in establishing systems that ensure provision of work as per demand. To generate awareness about the provisions of the Scheme and to provide adequate employment opportunities to rural households under MGNREGS, all States/UTs have been requested to (i) initiate appropriate Information Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns including wall paintings for wide dissemination of the provisions of the Act, (ii) expand scope and coverage of demand registration system to ensure that demand for work under MGNREGA does not go unregistered, (iii) prepare plans in a participatory mode and approve them in the Gram Sabha, and (iv) prepare realistic labour budget by the State.

(d): Fund release to States/UTs is a continuous process and Central Government is committed to making funds available keeping in view the demand for work. The Ministry releases funds to the States based on the basis of agreed to Labour Budget (LB), opening balance, pending liabilities of the previous year for the financial year, if any, and overall performance. During the current FY 2017-18 (as on 22.12.2017), an amount of Rs. 46,483.09 crore has been released to the States/UTs for implementation of MGNREGS.

(e): For timely release of funds, the Ministry has taken steps to streamline the process of planning of realistic Labour Budget. It has issued guidelines on Labour Budget planning with three checklists to the States/ UTs to ensure that the documents prepared and submitted by the State/ UTs are in order.

*****