MGNREGA — Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005

MGNREGA = Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act NREGA = National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (earlier name, before 2009)

Enacted: 25 August 2005 (came into force 2 February 2006 in 200 districts; expanded nationwide by 2008) Ministry: Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India Renamed: 2 October 2009 — NREGA renamed to MGNREGA

The act was a legal guarantee (not just a scheme) — citizens have the legal right to demand work under it.

1. 100-day guarantee: Every rural household is entitled to a minimum of 100 days of unskilled manual work per financial year.

2. Legal right: Employment under MGNREGA is a legal right. If the government fails to provide work within 15 days of the worker's demand, the worker is entitled to an unemployment allowance.

3. Minimum wage: Workers are paid at least the state-notified minimum wage (or the central government's notified MGNREGA wage rate, whichever is higher).

4. Payment within 15 days: Wages must be paid within 15 days of completion of work.

5. Work near home: Employment is provided within 5 km of the worker's residence, or they receive an additional travel allowance.

6. Types of work: Earthwork, construction of rural roads, ponds, check dams, canals, wells, plantation, land development.

7. Women's participation: At least one-third (33%) of all workers under MGNREGA must be women.

8. Transparency and social audit: Mandatory social audits to ensure transparency and accountability.

1. Livelihood security: Provide minimum income security and livelihood security to rural households.
2. Create durable assets: Build productive assets in rural areas (roads, ponds, irrigation structures).
3. Strengthen Panchayati Raj: Implement through gram panchayats, strengthening local governance.
4. Reduce rural-urban migration: By providing employment in villages, reduce distress migration to cities.
5. Empower rural poor: Especially women, SC/ST communities, and landless labourers.
6. Environmental protection: Works often include water conservation, drought-proofing, and plantation.

MGNREGA is the world's largest rural employment guarantee programme. Its significance:

• Provides a safety net during agricultural off-seasons and drought years.
• Has helped increase rural wages nationwide — acts as a floor wage.
• Empowers women who constitute a large portion of MGNREGA workers.
• Has created millions of assets in villages — wells, ponds, roads, plantation.
• During the COVID-19 pandemic (2020–21), MGNREGA was crucial in providing employment to millions of returning migrant workers.

Criticism: Delayed wages, corruption in muster rolls, quality of assets, and administrative challenges have been flagged by auditors and NGOs.