Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: Review of implementation
Distilled Policy Brief
- MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households, aims to reduce chronic poverty through work projects, and strengthens decentralisation by giving Panchayati Raj Institutions a key role in planning and implementation.
- The Act establishes a legal right to work for adult members of rural households, requires at least one third of beneficiaries to be women, and mandates wages of at least Rs 60 per day, with current rates ranging from Rs 135 to Rs 214 per day.
- The Standing Committee found that average days of employment per household have fallen below the mandated 100 days and declined since 2010‑11, citing issues such as fabrication of job cards, wage payment delays, non‑payment of unemployment allowances, and incomplete works.
🎯 Prelims High-Yield Examination Points
MGNREGA: 100‑day guarantee, legal right to work, decentralised planning, wage norms, and implementation challenges highlighted by Standing Committee.
⚖️ Mains Analytical & Syllabus Linkages
Discuss the design, objectives, and implementation challenges of MGNREGA, focusing on decentralisation, wage norms, and the Standing Committee’s findings.
🎯 UPSC Prelims Practice Drill
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development reported a decline in average days of employment per household under MGNREGA since 2010‑11. Which of the following was NOT cited as a reason for this decline?
- [A] Fabrication of job cards
- [B] Delays in wage payments
- [C] Non‑payment of unemployment allowances
- [D] Increase in the statutory wage rate
▶ Reveal Official Answer & Analytical Explanation
The Committee attributed the fall in days of employment to fabrication of job cards, wage payment delays, non‑payment of unemployment allowances and incomplete works. An increase in the wage rate was not mentioned as a cause. Hence option D is correct.
🏛️ Historical Twin PYQ Anchor (2021)
Consider the following statements regarding the "National Clean Air Programme (NCAP)": 1. It is implemented by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. 2. Central Pollution Control Board acts as the sole regulatory executive body.