Question : WAGES UNDER MGNREGS

(a) whether due to the disparity in wages, labourers in some States/UTs do not demand work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS);

(b) if so, the details thereof and the reaction of the Government thereto; and

(c) the action taken by the Government to increase the wages in States/UTs with lesser rate under the Scheme?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI JAIRAM RAMESH)

(a)&(b): Being a self targeting wage-employment programme, the increase or the decline in the demand for labour under MGNREGA may arise due to a myriad of factors external to the programme management viz. available of alternative and remunerative employment opportunities outside MGNREGA, rain fall pattern, prevailing unskilled wage rate in rural, semi-urban/urban areas, better connectivity to semi-urban/peri-urban/urban areas etc. As per the provisions made under the Act, the responsibility of implementation of the Act is vested with the State Government. The permissible activities enunciated in the Act are periodically reviewed to add more works that would create durable assets vis-à-vis increased demand from the rural households.

(c): Under Section 6 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) different wage rates are fixed in respect of States/Union territories as the Scheme as per Section 4(1) of the Act is formulated and implemented by the States. Hence, there is no fixation of a national level MGNREGA wage rate. The wage rate fixed on 01.12.2008 by the States for unskilled agriculture labourers under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, was adopted and notified as the wage rate under Section 6(1) of the MGNREG Act vide Government of India Notification dated 1st January, 2009.Subsequently, the wage rate in respect of all State Governments/UTs have been revised under a settled wage policy of the Government of India based on inputs received from the State Governments. There is no discretion at the hands of the Ministry in this regard and neither can uniform wage rates be fixed for various States/UTs.