Govt preparing ground for decline of MGNREGS by keeping wages constant year after year, says economist Jean Dreze
6 years, 4 months ago

Govt preparing ground for decline of MGNREGS by keeping wages constant year after year, says economist Jean Dreze

Firstpost  

By Shreehari Paliath Mumbai: In the budget for 2018-19, the government allocated the largest sum for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the world’s largest job-guarantee programme, since its launch in 2006. In 2012-13, the share of MGNREGS was 55 percent of the rural development ministry’s allocation and has since dropped seven percentage points to 48 percent, IndiaSpend reported on 4 May, 2018. Jean Drèze_, a development economist and activist who is one of the architects of MGNREGS, says_ stagnation of real wages and the government’s chronic inability to ensure timely and reliable wage payments is discouraging workers from taking up MGNREGS work, which will lead to a decline of the scheme. The present government seems indifferent towards MGNREGS, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi having said that it is “a living monument” to the United Progressive Alliance’s policy failures. The stagnation of real wages, along with the government’s chronic inability to ensure timely and reliable wage payments, is discouraging rural workers from taking up MGNREGS work.

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History of this topic

MGNREGS allocations could be increased for FY26
10 hours, 19 minutes ago

MGNREGS allocations could be increased for FY26

Live Mint  

New Delhi: The national rural job guarantee scheme that gives millions of the poorest Indians employment may see a higher budget allocation in FY26, two people aware of the matter said. While allocations for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme —considered a lifeline for the rural poor – are unlikely to be increased during FY25, due to a …

Govt panel recommends overhaul of MGNREGS, adjusting wages every 5 years
3 weeks, 4 days ago

Govt panel recommends overhaul of MGNREGS, adjusting wages every 5 years

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: A government panel has recommended a complete overhaul of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme including allocating more work in areas with a higher number of deprived households. The panel, formed by the ministry of rural development in October 2022 to study the performance of the states and governance under MGNREGS, also argued for a separate …

Parliamentary panel raises concern over low MGNREGS wages
1 month ago

Parliamentary panel raises concern over low MGNREGS wages

Live Mint  

New Delhi, Dec 13 Flagging low wages under MGNREGS, a Parliamentary panel has questioned why the remuneration under the flagship scheme was not linked to an inflation index. In view of Article 39 of the Constitution and to have parity in wages, the committee strongly recommends that MGNREGA beneficiaries must be paid wages without any disparity in order to bring …

MGNREGS demand declines elsewhere, rises in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh
1 month ago

MGNREGS demand declines elsewhere, rises in Maharashtra, Arunachal Pradesh

Hindustan Times  

NEW DELHI: At a time when the demand for jobs under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme is seeing a decline in India on a year-on-year basis since 2020-21, there has been an increase in demand for MGNREGS jobs in two states, Maharashtra and Arunachal Pradesh, according to data collated by the ministry of rural development. Collector, Nayagarh visiting …

MGNREGS demand not a real indicator of rural distress: Economic Survey
5 months, 3 weeks ago

MGNREGS demand not a real indicator of rural distress: Economic Survey

The Hindu  

Laying the groundwork for revisiting the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme as a poverty alleviation tool, Chief Economic Adviser V. Anantha Nageswaran on July 22 noted in the Economic Survey that demand under the scheme was not a “real indicator” of rural distress. According to the survey, while Tamil Nadu has less than 1% of the poor population in …

Rise in demand for MGNREGS a ‘living monument’ of govt. failure, says Jairam Ramesh
9 months, 1 week ago

Rise in demand for MGNREGS a ‘living monument’ of govt. failure, says Jairam Ramesh

The Hindu  

Reacting to the latest statistics of the flagship rural employment guarantee scheme showing that demand for work is more than the pre-pandemic level and on a steady rise, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said it is a “living monument” to the Narendra Modi government’s many failures. In a detailed statement here, Mr. Ramesh pointed out that the Mahatma Gandhi National …

Wages under MGNREGA 'inadequate', 'not in consonance' rising cost of living: Parliamentary panel
11 months, 1 week ago

Wages under MGNREGA 'inadequate', 'not in consonance' rising cost of living: Parliamentary panel

New Indian Express  

NEW DELHI: The daily wages paid under the flagship rural employment scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, are inadequate and not in consonance with the rising cost of living, a parliamentary panel told the government on Thursday. "The committee finds the range of wages vary from as little as Rs 221 in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, Rs …

The welfare programme economists loved to hate
1 year, 2 months ago

The welfare programme economists loved to hate

Hindustan Times  

India’s rural employment guarantee scheme has become a lifeline for the rural economy once again. Even during the pandemic, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has proved to be one of India’s most effective social safety nets. The researchers found that the payment reform raised household earnings of MGNREGS beneficiaries, boosted local demand, and drove up market wages …

MGNREGS wage rates revised by up to 10% for 2023-24 fiscal year
1 year, 9 months ago

MGNREGS wage rates revised by up to 10% for 2023-24 fiscal year

The Hindu  

The Centre has notified a hike in wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme for the 2023-24 financial year with Haryana having the highest daily wage at ₹357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the lowest at ₹221. The Union Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification on the change in wage rates under the Mahatma Gandhi National …

MGNREGA Wage Hiked For 2023-24; Check Latest Rates In Different States
1 year, 9 months ago

MGNREGA Wage Hiked For 2023-24; Check Latest Rates In Different States

News 18  

The Centre has notified a hike in wage rates under the rural job guarantee programme for the 2023-24 financial year with Haryana having the highest daily wage at Rs 357 per day and Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh the lowest at Rs 221. The Union Ministry of Rural Development issued a notification on the change in wage rates under the Mahatma …

At 56.62%, Participation of Women in Formal Work Under NREGS Highest in a Decade: Govt to Lok Sabha
1 year, 11 months ago

At 56.62%, Participation of Women in Formal Work Under NREGS Highest in a Decade: Govt to Lok Sabha

News 18  

The financial year of 2022-23 saw the highest rate of participation in a decade — 56.62% — by women in the formal workforce in rural areas under the Centre’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. Data also shows that in 2022-23, in states such as Kerala, Himachal Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan, the number of women in the …

More funds for MGNREGS if needed, says Rural Development Ministry
1 year, 11 months ago

More funds for MGNREGS if needed, says Rural Development Ministry

The Hindu  

The cut in budgetary outlay for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme will not affect the programme’s objective of providing wage employment on demand and additional funds will be made available as and when the need arises, the Ministry of Rural Development said, in a clarification to news reports on the adverse impact of the budget cuts on the …

Women break new ground in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
2 years ago

Women break new ground in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

The Hindu  

The proportion of women workers participating in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has touched a ten-year high in the ongoing financial year. According to the latest statistics available with the Union Ministry of Rural Development, 57.8% of the workers who used the scheme this year were women, their highest level of participation since 2012-13. “Additionally, the State …

Laboured wages: On MGNREGS payments to States
2 years ago

Laboured wages: On MGNREGS payments to States

The Hindu  

A testy exchange in the Rajya Sabha between the Minister of State for Rural Development, Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti, and the Trinamool Congress MP, Jawhar Sircar, on the withholding of funds for the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in West Bengal laid bare a key implementation issue — wage delays. The delay in the payment, which is contrary to …

Skill training of rural jobs scheme MGNREGS workers lags; Centre blames it on the States
2 years, 1 month ago

Skill training of rural jobs scheme MGNREGS workers lags; Centre blames it on the States

The Hindu  

Facing less than a lukewarm response to project Unnati, which aims to reduce dependence on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by imparting skill training to its beneficiaries, the Union Rural Development Ministry wants to link performances of the States under the project with its labour budget for the upcoming financial year. But we can’t turn a blind …

Rural Development Ministry report highlights gaps in poverty alleviation
2 years, 1 month ago

Rural Development Ministry report highlights gaps in poverty alleviation

The Hindu  

Published : Nov 17, 2022 10:35 IST The Central government has claimed that schemes such as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme “acted as a boon for the populace” in the pandemic years, when cities saw a reverse migration because of the lockdown. However, the Ministry of Rural Development’s Sixth Common Review Mission, which examines rural development schemes …

Decentralise MGNREGS for better implementation, says study
2 years, 2 months ago

Decentralise MGNREGS for better implementation, says study

The Hindu  

An internal study commissioned by the Ministry of Rural Development has argued for decentralisation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, allowing for more “flexibility” at the ground level. The Ministry recently made public the report of the sixth Common Review Mission which surveyed seven States — Andhra Pradesh, Arunachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Nagaland, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh — …

MGNREGA: Safety net looks fragile
2 years, 5 months ago

MGNREGA: Safety net looks fragile

The Hindu  

Published : Jul 24, 2022 18:00 IST Soon after becoming Prime Minister, Narendra Modi mocked the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in Parliament and called it a monumental failure of the United Progressive Alliance government. MGNREGA, which guarantees 100 days of work a year to at least one member of every rural household, saved many of them from …

The worrying cutbacks in rural jobs guarantee outlay, in charts
2 years, 10 months ago

The worrying cutbacks in rural jobs guarantee outlay, in charts

Live Mint  

If the Centre holds its ground on allocations to the rural employment guarantee scheme, this important measure of last resort will end up offering about one-third fewer person-days of work in 2022-23, show Mint calculations. In a report to the Lok Sabha, the panel criticized the lower allocation for 2022-23 to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme, which …

Underestimated utility: The Hindu Editorial on Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee rural jobs scheme fund crunch
3 years, 2 months ago

Underestimated utility: The Hindu Editorial on Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee rural jobs scheme fund crunch

The Hindu  

That as many as 21 of 35 States/UTs have utilised, by October 29, over 100% of their allocated funds under the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme for FY2021-22 is not a surprise. In the previous year, the allocations for MGNREGS were increased by ₹50,000 crore to meet the demand for work, with the Revised Estimates for spending for the …

No money left in MGNREGA coffers; 21 States in the red
3 years, 2 months ago

No money left in MGNREGA coffers; 21 States in the red

The Hindu  

The Centre’s flagship rural employment scheme has run out of funds halfway through the financial year, and supplementary budgetary allocations will not come to the rescue for at least another month when the next Parliamentary session begins. According to its own financial statement, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme shows a negative net balance of ₹8,686 crore. …

Worst employer of women under MGNREGS, UP aims a turnaround
4 years, 1 month ago

Worst employer of women under MGNREGS, UP aims a turnaround

Hindustan Times  

Uttar Pradesh is the worst performer in employment of women under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in the country. “Yes, over the last five years, women’s participation in the MGNREGS has consistently been low and lower than the national average,” said Yogesh Kumar, additional commissioner, MGNREGS, UP. “We have zeroed in on some significant factors and have …

Jharkhand to ask Centre to revise MGNREGs minimum wage
4 years, 1 month ago

Jharkhand to ask Centre to revise MGNREGs minimum wage

Hindustan Times  

Jharkhand will soon send a proposal to the Centre to revise the minimum wage rate and the CFT provision per man-day for labourers working under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Guarantee Scheme, rural development officials said on Thursday. A worker gets a minimum wage of ₹194 after he digs 73 CFT soil in Jharkhand, while MGNREGS labourers in Andhra Pradesh …

A case for extension: The Hindu Editorial on rural jobs scheme
4 years, 6 months ago

A case for extension: The Hindu Editorial on rural jobs scheme

The Hindu  

The finding that 8.4 lakh poor households have completed at least 80 days of the 100-day limit for work under the MGNREGS and 1.4 lakh among those have completed the full quota, should come as no surprise. While these numbers are a fraction of the 4.6 crore households which have benefited from MGNREGS this year, the fact that many poor …

A mindset problem: The Hindu Editorial on rural jobs scheme fund crunch
4 years, 11 months ago

A mindset problem: The Hindu Editorial on rural jobs scheme fund crunch

The Hindu  

It needs no reiteration that the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme has acted as insurance for landless labourers during crop failures, agrarian crises and periods of a stressed economy. With the ongoing economic slowdown resulting in depressed rural wages and the lack of adequate opportunity to work, the MGNREGS has provided much needed succour and this explains why …

Indian experts doubt MGNREGA’s adverse impact on education and child-labour
4 years, 11 months ago

Indian experts doubt MGNREGA’s adverse impact on education and child-labour

Live Mint  

New Delhi: Contrary to what a World Bank working paper has suggested, Indian experts argue that country’s rural job guarantee scheme does not have much influence on child labour and on school enrollment. Experts argue that linking dropout rate and child labour to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is bit of a stretch and argued that the employment …

A rural stimulus: On MGNREGA wage hike
5 years, 3 months ago

A rural stimulus: On MGNREGA wage hike

The Hindu  

The government’s statistical machinery has begun work on revising the indices that capture the trends in consumer prices experienced in rural India. But two-thirds of the dated inflation index is still driven by food prices, which may effectively end up understating the price pressures facing rural households. This depressant effect could be accentuated when low food inflation coincides with decelerating …

Government to peg MGNREGA wages to inflation in bid to hike incomes
5 years, 3 months ago

Government to peg MGNREGA wages to inflation in bid to hike incomes

The Hindu  

Staring at a slump in rural demand and a slowdown in the rural economy, the Centre plans to inject more money into the UPA’s flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme by linking wages under the Act to an updated inflation index, which will be revised annually. However, some economists question whether linking wage rates to a better …

History’s curse on MGNREGA
5 years, 4 months ago

History’s curse on MGNREGA

Live Mint  

When it was launched in 2006, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was envisaged to boost rural economies by providing the rural poor with 100 days of guaranteed public employment and raising rural wages. The study, authored by Kartik Misra of the University of Massachusetts, shows far from addressing regional inequalities, MGNREGA’s effects have fallen victim to historical …

Opinion | How MGNREGA transformed into a monument of failure
5 years, 5 months ago

Opinion | How MGNREGA transformed into a monument of failure

Live Mint  

There is now a plethora of evidence that the economy has been cooling down over the last three years. MGNREGA was envisaged as a provider of rural employment to casual workers at government-mandated minimum wages set above market wages. The National Sample Survey Office has been tracking wages received by casual workers employed under MGNREGA and private markets since 2007-08, …

Choking a lifeline
5 years, 9 months ago

Choking a lifeline

The Hindu  

Sujatha has spent the better part of day for the past two months digging the hard, sun-baked earth to create recharge pits in what once used to be the largest lake in Beerumanahalli village in Kolar district of Karnataka. We don’t have the capacity to work and wait for months to be paid, or to spend entire days protesting, first …

States may have to fund for MGNREGA wages
5 years, 11 months ago

States may have to fund for MGNREGA wages

The Hindu  

States struggling to pay workers under a national employment guarantee scheme have received additional funds from the Centre to meet their pending liabilities, but the money is unlikely to be sufficient for the rest of the financial year. The financial statement of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act scheme shows that as on January 30, 19 States and …

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