MGNREGS Scheme | 28 Dec 2023

Source: IE

Why in News?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has witnessed a significant surge in women's participation, marking a historic high in the current financial year of 2023-24.

What are the Women Participation Trends in MGNREGA?

• Women Participation Trends:
  • There has been a gradual increase in women's participation over the last decade, with percentages rising from 53.19% during the Covid-19 outbreak in 2020-21 to the current 59.25%.
  • Southern states like Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Goa showcase notably high rates of women's involvement, surpassing 70%, while northern states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh lag behind at around 40% or below.
  • Despite historical disparities, some states like Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Lakshadweep show recent improvements in women's participation rates in the ongoing financial year, attributed to incremental percentages.
• Rural Labor Force Trends:
  • Beyond MGNREGS, the Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation demonstrates a substantial surge in female Labour Force Participation Rate (LFPR) in rural areas.
  • Notable figures show an increase from 18.2% in 2017-18 to 30.5% in 2022-23 in rural female LFPR, along with a decline in female unemployment rates from 3.8% to 1.8% during the same period.

What is MGNREGA Scheme?

• About:
  • MGNREGA is one of the largest work guarantee programmes in the world launched in 2005 by the Ministry of Rural development.
  • It provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.
  • Active workers: 14.32 Crore (2023-24)
• Major Features:
  • The cornerstone of MGNREGA's design is its legal guarantee, ensuring that any rural adult can request work and must receive it within 15 days.
    • If this commitment is not met, an "unemployment allowance" must be provided.
  • It requires that priority shall be given to women in such a way that at least one-third of the beneficiaries shall be women who have registered and requested for work.
  • Section 17 of the MGNREGA has mandated Social audit of all Works executed under the MGNREGA.
• Implementation Agency:
  • The Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Govt of India is monitoring the entire implementation of this scheme in association with state governments.
• Objective:
  • This act was introduced with an aim of improving the Purchasing Power of the rural people, primarily semi or unskilled work to people living below poverty line in rural India.
  • It attempts to bridge the gap between the rich and poor in the country.
• Achievements of 2022-23:
  • 11.37 crore households availed employment.
  • 289.24 crore person-days employment has been generated out of which:
    • 56.19% were for women
    • 19.75% were for Scheduled Castes (SCs)
    • 17.47% were for Scheduled Tribes (STs).

What are the Challenges with the Implementation of the Scheme?

• Delay and Insufficiency in Funds Dispersal:
  • Most states have failed to disburse wages within 15 days as mandated by MGNREGA. In addition, workers are not compensated for a delay in payment of wages.
    • This has turned the scheme into a supply-based programme and subsequently, workers had begun to lose interest in working under it.
  • There is ample evidence by now, including an admission by the Ministry of Finance, that delays in wage payments are a consequence of insufficient funds.
• Caste Based Segregation:
  • There were significant variations in delays by caste. While 46% of payments to SC (Scheduled Caste) workers and 37% for ST (Scheduled Tribes) workers were completed in the mandated seven-day period, it was a dismal 26% for non-SC/ST workers.
  • The negative impact of caste-based segregation was felt acutely in poorer States such as Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha and West Bengal.
• Ineffective Role of PRI:
  • With very little autonomy, Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) are not able to implement this act in an effective and efficient manner.
• Large Number of Incomplete works:
  • There has been a delay in the completion of works under MGNREGA and inspection of projects has been irregular. Also, there is an issue of quality of work and asset creation under MGNREGA.
• Fabrication of Job cards:
  • There are several issues related to the existence of fake job cards, the inclusion of fictitious names, missing entries and delays in making entries in job cards.

Way Forward

• There is a need to ensure consistent fund flow to states and implementing agencies while leveraging digital tools for transparent, timely wage payments.
• Focus on exclusion errors, identifying pockets where marginalized SC and ST families are missing out on MGNREGA benefits.
• Empower State and Central Employment Guarantee Councils for informed decisions, incorporating public participation via assemblies, civil society, and worker unions.