A moment to revive MGNREGA

Context: Government has allocated Rs. 1 lakh crore to MGNREGA to create employment at ground level. But it must be supplemented with steps to make it more effective

Importance of MGNREGA

• Legally backed guarantee: to get work within 15 days of demanding it.
• Demand-based trigger: Enables self-selection of workers and assures at least 100 days of wage employment.

Issues With MGNREGA

• Clearing previous liabilities: accounts for 18% of annual budgetary allocation for MGNREGA since 2012.
• Supply driven programme: Due to capping of financial resources by Previous Governments 
• Inordinate delay in wage payments and material liability.
• little autonomy provided to Gram Panchayats: affects its implementation
• Fund Allocation: approximately Rs 84,000 crore is available i.e. 0.47% of the GDP (World Bank recommended 1.7% for the optimal functioning of the programme.)
• Lack of enthusiasm by states: State Governments run programme only to the extent of funds made available from the Central Government.

Immediate steps to ensure the MGNREGA lives up to its potential.

• Ensure public works are opened, provided work immediately, without imposing on them the requirement of demanding work in advance.
• Local Bodies proactively distribute job cards to needy migrants.
• Adequate facilities like water, soap should be provided free of cost. MGNREGA tools should not be shared between workers.
• Procedure for implementation of MGNREGA should be simplified, not diluted.
• Government should go with wage distribution in cash, san biometric authentication as banking penetration is low in the rural area.
• Flexibility in the kind of work to be undertaken.

Way Forward

• MGNREGA is a demand-based guarantee backed by law, and in background of nearly eight crore migrant workers returning to their villages its proper implementation will be a true revival of MGNREGA.