MGNREGA

The central government forms a panel to review the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme’s implementation.

Former Rural Development secretary Amarjeet Sinha heads the committee.
The Sinha committee has now been tasked to study the various factors behind the demand for MGNREGA work, expenditure trends and inter-State variations, and work composition.

MGNREGA guarantees a hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Individual beneficiary-oriented works can be taken up on the cards of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, small or marginal farmers or beneficiaries of land reforms or beneficiaries under the Indira Awaas Yojana of the Government of India.
Within 15 days of applying or from the day work is demanded, wage employment will be provided to the applicant.
Right to get unemployment allowance in case employment is not provided within fifteen days of applying or from the date when work is sought.
The Gram Panchayats can take up a variety of permissible works.
MGNREGA focuses on the economic and social empowerment of women.
A social audit of MGNREGA works is mandatory, which lends to accountability and transparency.
MGNREGA works to address the vulnerability of climate change, protect farmers from such risks, and conserve natural resources.
The Gram Sabha is the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their voices and make demands. The Gram Sabha and the Gram Panchayat approve the shelf of works under MGNREGA and fix their priority.
Activities covered

Most states still need to disburse wages within 15 days as mandated by MGNREGA.
In addition, workers are not compensated for a delay in wages.
Ineffective Role of PRI
With very little autonomy, gram panchayats cannot implement this act effectively and efficiently.
A large number of Incomplete works
There has been a delay in the completion of works under MGNREGA, and the inspection of projects has been irregular. Also, there is an issue with the quality of work and asset creation under MGNREGA.
Fabrication of Job cards
There are several issues related to the existence of fake job cards, including fictitious names, missing entries and delays in making entries in job cards.
Unproductive work
Most of the work under the scheme is unproductive in nature.

Funding
The fund for the states and wages for the workers should be provided timely and adequately.
Role of Gram panchayats
Gram panchayats need to be provided with adequate resources, powers, and responsibilities to sanction works, provide work on demand, and authorise wage payments to ensure there are no delays in payments.
Convergence
MGNREGA should be converged with other schemes of the government—for example, the Green India initiative, Swachh Bharat Abhiyan etc.
Productive works
The work assigned under the scheme should be productive and try to create some economical assets.

Content Source: The Hindu