What is MGNREGA? Interesting Facts About India’s Rural Employment Scheme

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is one of the most significant welfare laws in India, worked out to enhance the livelihood security of the rural households. The plan ensures that wage jobs are offered to individuals who are willing to engage in unskilled manual labour and is inclusive in terms of growth since it targets the poorest and the most vulnerable segments of society.

So, let’s explore some Interesting Facts about the MGNREGA from this article.

What is Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)?

MGNREGA is a rights-based employment scheme which was passed to offer at least 100 days of one-hundred days wage-guaranteed work in a financial year to all rural households whose adult members will voluntarily submit to unskilled manual labour. In contrast to other welfare programs, MGNREGA employment is a right.

The programme is primarily carried out by the use of Gram Panchayats, which guarantees decentralisation in the planning and implementation. Workplaces fall within 5 kilometres to the home of the worker, and payment is deposited directly into the bank or post office accounts. 

There is a requirement for basic facilities like drinking water, shade, and first aid at the work sites. The act is also significantly involved in the construction of long-lasting rural facilities such as ponds, check dams, roads, and irrigation facilities.

Also Read: Mahatma Gandhi Biography: Family, Education, History, Movements, and Facts

Interesting Facts about the MGNREGA

1. Employment Guarantee: 

The MGNREGA is the only program in India whereby the rural households with a legal obligation of employment. Without being given work within 15 days of requiring it, there is the entitlement of eligible applicants to an unemployment allowance.

2. Focus on Rural Development: 

The plan is aimed at the development of sustainable community resources. The majority of the works pertain to water conservation, land development, flood control, and rural connectivity, which are used to increase agricultural productivity and village infrastructure.

3. Inclusive and Demand-Driven

MGNREGA is not need-based but is demand-based. Jobs are only created when individuals seek to work, and therefore, the rural citizens will not be mere recipients but contributors.

4. Women's Participation

The act promotes the active participation of women in the workforce. The legislation requires there to be at least a third of workers to be women, and in most states, the membership of women has been more than half. Equal pay encourages equality between men and women.

5. Transparency and Accountability

One of the main characteristics of MGNREGA is that of transparency. The local communities carry out social audits that aid in monitoring the works, the expenditures and payment of wages. Projects and funding information are publicly accessible, leading to accountability.

6. Electronic Fund Management

The scheme employs the Electronic Fund Management System (e-FMS) to deposit monthly salaries into the bank accounts of workers. This minimises periods of waste, leakages and corruption as well as prompt payments of wages.

Source: nrega.dord.gov.in

MGNREGA emphasises environmental conservation and sustainable rural development works. Conservation of the soil, plantations and water harvesting are also considered as part of the ecological balance and generate jobs.

The scheme also enhances the institutionalisation of democracy through authorising the Panchayati Raj bodies, as well as promoting the community to participate in the development works planning, implementation, and monitoring.

Conclusion

The scheme encourages a sense of community and collective responsibility by strengthening Panchayat Raj institutions. It will help in ensuring that short-term income needs are met by guaranteeing work, promoting inclusion, and developing long-term assets to sustain development. It is a foundation of the rural development strategy in India since it emphasises transparency, decentralisation and sustainability.