Question : Demand for Jobs under MGNREGS

(a) whether the Government has conducted any assessment or study on the demand for jobs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) before, during and after the pandemic and if so, the details thereof;

(b) whether the Government has held consultations at the grassroots level to understand views of stakeholders in availability and demand of jobs under MGNREGS during the last three years and if so, the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has taken cognizance of media reports indicating high demand for jobs under MGNREGS amid increasing rural unemployment and lack of opportunities and if so, the details thereof; and

(d) the manner in which the Government proposes to manage reduced budgetary allocations in the current fiscal considering that as many as 19 States have crossed MGNREGS budgets and the demand-driven nature of the scheme?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI GIRIRAJ SINGH)

(a) to (d): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Statement in reply to Parts (a) to (d) of Lok Sabha Starred Question No. 196 for 15.03.2022

(a) to (c): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment programme which provide 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. It provides livelihood security i.e., fall back option for livelihood for the rural households when no better employment opportunity is available. As per the information uploaded by the States/UTs in Management Information System (MIS) of NREGASoft, the details of households demanded employment, households offered employment and households who have turned up at the worksites and thus availed employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the financial years 2019-20, 2020-21 and 2021-22 (as on 08.03.2022) is given below:

(Figure in crore)
Financial Year 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22
(as on 08.03.2022)

Households demanded employment 6.17 8.55 7.89

Households offered employment 6.15 8.54 7.85

Households turned up at the
worksite and thus availed employment* 5.48 7.55 7.01

*Acceptance of offer of wage employment depends upon the beneficiaries.


(d): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment programme and funds are released to the States/UTs on the basis of "agreed to" Labour Budget (LB) and performance of the States/UTs during the financial year. Fund release to States/UTs is a continuous process and Central Government is committed in making funds available keeping in view the demand for work on the ground.

The Government had enhanced the financial allocation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS for financial year 2020-21 from Rs.61,500 crore at Budget Estimate (BE) stage to Rs.1,11,500 crore at Revised Estimate (RE) stage.

In the current financial year 2021-22, the budget provision at Budget Estimate (BE) stage was Rs. 73,000 crore. The Ministry has requested for additional budget allocation which has been enhanced to Rs. 98,000 crore at the Revised Estimate (RE) stage as per the requirement of funds. The Ministry seeks additional fund for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS as and when required for meeting the demand for work on the ground.

*******