MGNREGA – Achievements & Challenges
🟠 Topic 88: MGNREGA – Achievements & Challenges
📌 Introduction
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted in 2005, is one of the world’s largest public employment programmes. It guarantees 100 days of wage employment per year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. MGNREGA aims to provide livelihood security, create rural assets, and empower women and disadvantaged communities.
🔹 Objectives of MGNREGA
✔️ Provide social safety net through guaranteed employment.
✔️ Enhance livelihood security in rural areas.
✔️ Create durable rural assets for water conservation, roads, and afforestation.
✔️ Promote gender equality and financial inclusion.
✔️ Strengthen grassroots democracy through social audits.
🔹 Key Features
| Feature | Description |
|---|---|
| Legal Guarantee | 100 days of wage employment. |
| Universal Coverage | All rural households eligible. |
| Demand-Driven | Employment provided upon demand. |
| Gender Sensitivity | At least 1/3rd workers must be women. |
| Wages | Linked to minimum wages, paid through bank/post office accounts. |
| Transparency | Social audits mandatory. |
| Asset Creation | Focus on natural resource management and infrastructure. |
🔹 Achievements of MGNREGA
1️⃣ Employment Generation
✔️ Over 5 crore households provided employment annually.
✔️ Benefited SC/ST and women disproportionately.
2️⃣ Women Empowerment
✔️ Women participation consistently over 50%.
✔️ Enhanced decision-making in household finances.
3️⃣ Rural Infrastructure Creation
✔️ Assets created include: ✔️ Ponds, check dams, irrigation canals. ✔️ Rural roads. ✔️ Plantation and afforestation works.
4️⃣ Economic Resilience
✔️ Reduced distress migration.
✔️ Enhanced rural purchasing power, especially during COVID-19 lockdowns.
🔹 Challenges in MGNREGA Implementation
1️⃣ Delayed Wage Payments
✔️ Despite legal provisions, wage payments often delayed by several weeks.
✔️ Affects worker confidence and household liquidity.
2️⃣ Poor Quality of Assets
✔️ Many created assets lack durability and usability.
✔️ Focused more on employment generation than quality outcomes.
3️⃣ Demand-Supply Gap
✔️ Inadequate funding allocations limit workdays.
✔️ Not all demanding households receive full 100 days.
4️⃣ Exclusion of Marginalised Groups
✔️ Landless, disabled, and senior citizens face barriers in participation.
✔️ Migrants unable to access MGNREGA in destination states.
5️⃣ Corruption and Leakages
✔️ Reports of: ✔️ Ghost beneficiaries. ✔️ Collusion in muster rolls. ✔️ Bribes for job cards.
🔹 Role in COVID-19 Response
✔️ Provided immediate employment to migrant workers returning to villages.
✔️ Funds enhanced to ₹1 lakh crore+ in 2020-21 as economic stimulus.
✔️ Played key role in rural income stability.
🔹 Suggested Reforms
✔️ Ensure real-time fund release and wage payments.
✔️ Link asset creation with climate resilience (watershed, afforestation).
✔️ Enhance participation of: ✔️ Disabled persons.
✔️ Landless households.
✔️ Integrate skill development components.
✔️ Leverage geo-tagging and digital monitoring for transparency.
MGNAREGA GRAPH
📚 Practice MCQs
1️⃣ MGNREGA guarantees how many days of wage employment per year to rural households?
✅ Options:
(a) 50 days
(b) 75 days
(c) 100 days
(d) 150 days
2️⃣ Which of the following are true about MGNREGA?
- It is demand-driven.
- At least one-third of workers must be women.
- It guarantees employment in urban areas.
✅ Options:
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1, 2, and 3
(d) 1 and 3 only
3️⃣ The wages under MGNREGA are linked to:
✅ Options:
(a) Consumer Price Index (Rural)
(b) Wholesale Price Index
(c) Minimum Support Price
(d) Repo Rate
4️⃣ Which body is responsible for social audits under MGNREGA?
✅ Options:
(a) Gram Sabha
(b) NITI Aayog
(c) Ministry of Rural Development
(d) Panchayati Raj Ministry
5️⃣ In which year was MGNREGA enacted?
✅ Options:
(a) 2004
(b) 2005
(c) 2006
(d) 2008
