MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI JAIRAM RAMESH)
(a)to(e): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.
Statement as referred to in reply to parts (a) to (e) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 217 for
answer on 08.12.2011
(a): The focus of activities under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) for wage employment is laid down in Schedule – I of the Act as amended from time to
time. Section 16(1) of MGNREGA provides that Gram Panchayats shall be responsible for
identification of projects in the Gram Panchayat area to be taken up under the scheme as per
the recommendations of the Gram Sabha and Ward Sabhas. Section 13(1) of MGNREGA provides that
the Panchayats at district, intermediate and village levels shall be the principal authorities
for planning and implementation of the schemes made under the Act. Works/activities permissible
and carried out consist of the following:
(i) water conservation and water harvesting;
(ii) drought proofing (including afforestation and tree plantation);
(iii) irrigation canals including micro and minor irrigation works;
(iv) provision of irrigation facility, horticulture plantation and land development
facilities to land owned by households belonging to the Schedule Castes and Schedule Tribes or
Below Poverty Line families or to beneficiaries of land reforms or to the beneficiaries under
the Indira Awas Yojna of the Government of India or that of small farmers or marginal farmers
as defined in the Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 (extended to small and
marginal farmers vide notification dated 22.7.2009), or to the beneficiaries under the Scheduled
Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers(Recognition of Forest Rights ) Act 2006,
(extended vide notification dated 22.9.2011).
(v) renovation of traditional water bodies including de-silting of tanks;
(vi) land development;
(vii) flood control and protection works including drainage in water logged areas;
(viii) rural connectivity to provide all-weather access. Priority should be given to roads that
give access to SC/ST habitations; and
(ix) any other work which may be notified by the Central Government in consultation with the State Government.
The following have been notified under this provision
(a) Construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra as Village Knowledge Resource
Centre and Gram Panchayat Bhawan at Gram Panchayat level (included vide notification dated
11.11.2009).
(b) Construction of play grounds in districts as identified by the central Government for
Integrated Action Plan (included vide notification dated 21.10.2011).
(c) Access to sanitation facilities in convergence with the Total Sanitation Campaign of the
Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (included vide notification dated 30.09.2011).
(b)to(e): Addition of new activities/works in Schedule – I in consultation with the State
Governments for employment generation under MGNREGA and other reforms/changes in the Act from
time to time for improving its implementation, is a continuous process. The activities for land
development and water harvesting are already included in Schedule – I of the Act and provision
of horticulture plantation and land development facilities to land owned by small farmers or
marginal farmers as defined in the Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008 have
been included in Schedule I vide notification dated 22.7.2009.
