(a) whether certain States have requested to allow use of machines in the work done under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee cheme(MGNREGS);
(b) if so, the details thereof along with the reasons therefor; and
(c) the steps taken by the Government to allow use of machines for executing projects in different terrains?
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SADHVI NIRANJAN JYOTI)
(a) to (c): Para 22 of Schedule-I of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA), 2005, lays down that “as far as practicable, works executed by the programme implementation agencies shall be performed by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines shall be used”.
However, there may be activities in executing works which cannot be carried out by manual labour, where use of machine may become essential for maintaining the quality and durability of works. A suggested list of machines which can be used under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is at Annexure.
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