Question : EMPLOYMENT UNDER MGNREGS

(a) whether the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is demand driven scheme and if so, the details thereof;

(b) the number of persons demanded and actually provided employment during each of the last three years along with those who could not be provided employment under MGNREGS, State/UT-wise;

(c) whether complaints have been received from various States/UTs to the effect that the guaranteed 100 days wage employment was not being made available under MGNREGS in several cases and if so, the details thereof;

(d) whether unemployment allowancehas been provided to persons who were not provided 100 days employment on demand as guaranteed in the Act, if so, the details there of, State/UT-wise and if not,the reasons therefor; and

(e) the steps taken to ensure that the guaranteed 100 days of jobs or unemployment allowance are provided to the needy people?

MINISTER OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI BIRENDER SINGH)

(a) to (e): A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

Statement referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Starred Question No.582 for 07.05.2015

(a): Yes, Madam. The Section 3 of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) mandates the State Government to provide employment to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work for not less than one hundred days in a financial year.

(b): The State/UT-wise details of households provided employment as demanded by job card holders during the last three years is in the Annexure-I.

(c): There have been complaints of non-provision of work from various States and non-registration of demand for work.

(d): As per Section 7 of the Act, unemployment allowance becomes payable in case an applicant is not provided employment within 15 days of receipt of his application seeking employment or from the date on which employment has been sought in case of an advance application, whichever is later. As per the Programme Management Information System (MIS), State/UT-wise details of unemployment allowance payable to MGNREGA workers for last three years is given in Annexure-II.

(e): Government remains actively engaged with State Governments in establishing the system that ensures provision of work as per demand. In this direction, the following directives have been issued to the States:
(i) Organize ‘Rozgar Diwas’ fortnightly to register demand in all habitations.
(ii) Provision for registering demand using call centres, mobiles, kiosks and website.
(iii) Initiate appropriate IEC campaigns including wall paintings for wide dissemination of the provisions of the Act.
(iv) Organisation of workers into labour groups and register groups.