MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME - MAHARASHTRA
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) was notified on September 7, 2005. The Scheme formulated to implement the act is called as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme-Maharashtra in the state.
Mandate
The mandate of the MGNREGA is 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.
Objectives
The core objectives of the MGNREGS are:
- Providing not less than one hundred days of unskilled manual work as a guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability.
- Strengthening the livelihood resource base of the poor.
- Proactively ensuring social inclusion.
- Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions
Salient Features of MGNREGS
- The Gram Panchayat is responsible for identification of the projects in the Gram Panchayat area to be taken up under a Scheme as per the recommendations of the Gram Sabha. Every Adult member of rural household have a right to participate in the Gram Sabha and decide the works and the order of priority to be taken up under MGNREGS for their Panchayat.
- The worker has to be allocated to a worksite preferably within 5 km of her/ his residence. Work has to be definitely provided within the Block. If work is allocated to a worker beyond 5 km of his residence, the worker has a right to get a travel allowance.
- For all workstaken up under the Scheme, by the Gram Panchayats and other implementing agencies, the cost of material component including the wages of the skilled and semi-skilled workers shall not exceed forty percent at the District level.
- As far as practicable, works executed by the programme implementing agencies shall be performed by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines shall be used.
- There are 262 combinations of works which are permissible under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.For the list of approved MGNREGS works please click here.
- At least60% of the works to be taken up in a district in terms of cost shall be for creation of productive assets directly linked to agriculture and allied activities through development ofland, water and trees. With the thrust on development of livelihoods,
- Works prioritised in the convergent planning process for individual beneficiaries will be given priority.
About Scheme
- Legal Right to Work: Unlike earlier employment guarantee schemes, the act aims at addressing the causes of chronic poverty through a rights-based framework.
- At least one-third of beneficiaries have to be women.
- Wages must be paid according to the statutory minimum wages specified for agricultural labourers in the state under the Minimum Wages Act, 1948.
- Demand-Driven Scheme: The most important part of MGNREGA’s design is its legally-backed guarantee for any rural adult to get work within 15 days of demanding it, failing which an ‘unemployment allowance’ must be given.
- This demand-driven scheme enables the self-selection of workers.
Benefits
- Every household residing in any rural area is entitled to a Job Card which contains the names and photographs of all adult members of the household so that they can demand and receive work. The Job Card is a key document that records job seekersdetails of work demanded and received wages, paid etc..
- Every adult member of a registered household whose name appears in the jobcard is entitled to demand and apply through multiple modes for unskilled manual work under the Scheme at Gram panchayat and work will be provided within fifteen days of demand or application.
- In case, the work is not allotted within due period, the wage seeker is entitled to have the unemployment allowance as per norms of MGRNEGS
How does it secures
- The facilities of safe drinking water, shade for children and periods of rest, first aid box with adequate material for emergency treatment for minor injuries at the work site.
- The facilities of safe drinking water, shade for children and periods of rest, first aid box with adequate material for emergency treatment for minor injuries at the work site.
- The worker is entitled to receive the notified wage rate within 15 days and failure to receive in due time further entitled to receive the payment of compensation at the rate of 0.05% of the unpaid wages per day of delay beyond the sixteenth dayof closure of muster roll.
- Grievance readressal mechanisms which allow a worker/citizen to lodge complaint and trace the subsequent response. Multiple modes are enabled for the complainant to register a complaint and include written complaints, toll free help line and online grievance registration portal and mobile application.