The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted in 2005, is the world’s largest rights-based employment programme, legally guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment to rural households.
Role of MGNREGA in Addressing Rural Distress:
1. Livelihood Security:
- MGNREGA generated over 31 billion person-days since inception; around 15 million workers daily across 1.4 million worksites.
- During COVID-19, it compensated 20–80% of income loss in states like Bihar and Karnataka as per Azim Premji University study.
2. Social Inclusion:
- Women’s participation reached 60% in 2023–24, far above the statutory minimum of 33%.
- SCs at 20%and STs at 17% form a significant share of beneficiaries, enhancing social equity.
3. Asset Creation:
- Over 30 million water conservation assets created, improving groundwater recharge and drought resilience.
- For e.g., the revival of johads in Haryana and watershed works in Rajasthan illustrate durable outcomes.
4. Rural Stabilisation: It acts as a shock absorber during agrarian distress, reducing distress-driven rural–urban migration.
5. Democratic Decentralisation: Gram Sabhas and PRIs play a central role in planning, execution, and social audits, strengthening grassroots democracy.
Key Challenges in Implementation:
1. Inadequate funding: Budget allocation fell to ₹60,000 crore in 2023–24, despite rising demand.
2. Wage-Related Issues: Low and uneven wages ranging from ₹221/day in MP to ₹354/day in Sikkim. Chronic delays in wage payments, often without compensation deter employment.
3. Weak Accountability Mechanisms: Only 263 ombudsmen appointed out of 715 districts while social audits irregular in several states.
4. Technological issues: Mandatory NMMS app faces connectivity and literacy issues in remote regions.
5. Limited Employment Duration: 100 days often insufficient for households facing chronic poverty.
Way Forward:
1. Ensure Timely Funding: Budget allocations must reflect demand and clear pending liabilities.
2. Reform Wage Structure: Align MGNREGA wages with state minimum agricultural wages and ensure automatic compensation for delays.
3. Strengthen Accountability: Mandatory biannual social audits, universal appointment and empowerment of ombudsmen.
4. Technology with Inclusion: Hybrid attendance systems in low-connectivity areas and grievance redressal integration.
5. Expand Scope & Convergence: Pilot Urban Employment Guarantee and deepen convergence with NRLM, PMAY, Jal Jeevan Mission.
Conclusion:
MGNREGA remains a cornerstone of India’s rural safety net, providing employment, dignity, and resilience. Strengthening MGNREGA is not welfare spending, but an investment in inclusive growth and rural stability.
‘+1’ Value Addition:
- As per the World Bank, MGNREGA reaches 1 in 6 rural households in India, largest public works programme globally.
- Supreme Court has held that delayed MGNREGA wages violate Article 21 (Right to Life).
- Over 70% of MGNREGA works are now linked to natural resource management, aiding climate adaptation.
- Kerala’s women well-diggers collective under MGNREGA, is the largest trained group in India.
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