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. 167 for answer on 23.08.2012
(a) to (c): The provisions in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) are effected through Schemes formulated by States
under Section 4(1) of the Act. The Schemes made by the States are required to
provide for the minimum features specified in Schedule I of the Act for which
guidelines are issued by the Central Government. Schedule-I of MGNREGA as
amended from time to time lists the category of works that any Scheme prepared
by a State Government under Section 4 (1) of MGNREG Act shall focus upon.
The choice of works suggested in the Act addresses causes of chronic poverty like
drought, deforestation, soil erosion, water availability etc. so that the process of
employment generation is maintained on a sustainable basis and durable assets are
created in rural areas by strengthening the natural resource base. Creation of
durable assets and strengthening the livelihood resource base of the rural poor is
also an important objective of the Act. Based on the suggestions and feed back
received from various stakeholders including State Governments, changes and
modifications to the Schedule and guidelines are carried out from time to time.
Vide notification dated 4.5.2012, Schedule I has been substantially expanded to
include a large number of additional activities. This was based on
recommendations of a Committee constituted under the Chairmanship of
Dr. Mihir Shah, Member, Planning Commission for the Revision of MGNREGA
Operational Guidelines. The list of activities at present included in Schedule -I of
the Act is given in Annexure.
(d): No specific study was conducted, but the Committee took into account
the views of the stakeholders, including Central and State Governments before
making its recommendations.
(e): Does not arise.
Annexure Referred to in Reply to parts (a) to (c) of Lok Sabha Starred
Question No. 167 for 23.08.2012.
List of activities included in Schedule-I (Para 1B) of MGNREG Act.
(i) water conservation and water harvesting including contour trenches,
contour bunds, boulder checks, gabion structures, underground dykes,
earthen dams, stop dams and springshed development;
(ii) drought proofing including afforestation and tree plantation;
(iii) irrigation canals including micro and minor irrigation works;
(iv) provision of irrigation facility, dug out farm pond, horticulture, plantation,
farm bunding and land development;
(v) renovation of traditional water bodies including desilting of tanks;
(vi) land development;
(vii) flood control and protection works including drainage in water logged
areas including deepening and repairing of flood channels, chaur
renovation, construction of storm water drains for coastal protection;
(viii) rural connectivity to provide all weather access, including culverts and
roads within a village, wherever necessary;
(ix) construction of Bharat Nirman Rajiv Gandhi Sewa Kendra as Knowledge
Resource Centre at the Block level and as Gram Panchayat Bhawan at the
Gram Panchayat level;
(x) agriculture related works, such as, NADEP composting, vermi-
composting, liquid bio-manures;
(xi) livestock related works, such as, poultry shelter, goat shelter, construction
of pucca floor, urine tank and fodder trough for cattle, azolla as cattle-
feed supplement;
(xii) fisheries related works, such as, fisheries in seasonal water bodies on
public land;
(xiii) works in coastal areas, such as, fish drying yards, belt vegetation;
(xiv) rural drinking water related works, such as, soak pits, recharge pits;
(xv) rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines,
school toilet units, anganwadi toilets, solid and liquid waste management;
(xvi) any other work which may be notified by the Central Government in
consultation with the State Government.
All activities mentioned in items (iv), (x), (xi) and items (xiii) to (xv) are
allowed on land or homestead owned by households belonging to the Scheduled
Castes and the Scheduled Tribes or below poverty line families or the beneficiaries
of land reforms or the beneficiaries under the Indira Awas Yojana of the
Government of India or that of the small or marginal farmers as defined in the
Agriculture Debt Waiver and Debt Relief Scheme, 2008, or the beneficiaries
under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition
of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (2 of 2007).
