Question : Jobs under MGNREGS

(a) whether the Government is aware that the ambitious Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) which seeks to guarantee 100 days of employment to every rural household in the country each year has provided only a few average days of employment during 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17;

(b) if so, the facts and the details thereof;

(c) whether the Government has since conducted any analysis to ascertain the factors responsible due to which the jobs could not be provided as mandated under the Act;

(d) if so, the details in this regard; and

(e) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to make the scheme successful and effective?

MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI RAM KRIPAL YADAV)

(a) & (b): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a demand driven programme which mandates to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. State/UTs-wise average days of employment provided per household during financial year 2014-15, 2015-16 and 2016-17 are given at Annexure.

(c) & (d): MGNREGA workers are mainly engaged in agricultural and allied activities. The demand for work itself is influenced by various factors such as rain-fall pattern, availability of alternative and remunerative employment opportunities outside MGNREGA and prevailing unskilled wage rates.

(e): The Government is actively engaged with the State Government in establishing systems that ensure provision of work as per demand. To generate awareness about the provisions of the Scheme and to provide adequate employment opportunities to rural households under MGNREGS, all States/UTs have been requested for the following:

(i) to initiate appropriate Information Education and Communication (IEC) campaigns including wall paintings for wide dissemination of the provisions of the Act.

(ii) to organise Rozgar Divas periodically to capture latent demand under the programme and to disseminate awareness about other provisions of the Act.

(iii) to prepare plans in a participatory mode and approve them in Gram Sabha.

(iv) to prepare realistic labour budget by the State.

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