MGNREGA: Strengthening Rural Resilience

The Government of India allocated ?86,000 crore for MGNREGA in FY 2025–26, the highest since the scheme’s inception.

Key Dimensions of MGNREGA

Objectives of the Scheme
                                                       

• Employment Guarantee: Provides at least 100 days of wage employment per rural household annually for unskilled work.
• Asset Creation: Focuses on durable, productive assets such as irrigation canals, water bodies, and soil conservation measures.
• Social Inclusion: Targets SCs, STs, women-headed households, and other vulnerable groups.
• Decentralised Governance: Strengthens Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) through bottom-up planning.

Performance and Achievements

• Budgetary Support: Allocation for FY 2025–26 stands at ?86,000 crore, compared to ?33,000 crore in FY 2013–14.
• Employment Generation: In FY 2024–25, 290.60 crore person-days were generated across 15.99 crore households.
• Women’s Participation: Women’s share rose from 48% in FY 2013–14 to 58.15% in FY 2024–25, demonstrating empowerment and inclusion.
• Technological Advancements: 99.94% wages now paid electronically; 6.36 crore assets geo-tagged; Aadhaar seeding covers 97% of active workers.
• Project UNNATI: Since 2019, aims to skill 2 lakh workers for sustainable livelihoods; by March 2025, 90,894 trained.

Reforms and Innovations

• Mission AmritSarovar: Over 68,000 water bodies rejuvenated against the target of 50,000.
• Digital Tools: NMMS app for attendance, JALDOOT app for groundwater monitoring, Yuktdhara portal for geospatial planning.
• Transparency Measures: Mandatory social audits, e-FMS payments, Aadhaar-linked job cards, and job card verification drive.
• Convergence Model: Collaboration with 13 Ministries (e.g., Anganwadi centres, GP buildings, border roads with BRO).

Challenges in Implementation

• Delayed Wage Payments: Despite improvements, occasional fund flow disruptions impact rural livelihoods.
• Demand-Supply Gap: At times, actual employment offered does not match rural demand during lean seasons.
• Corruption and Leakages: Fake job cards and ghost beneficiaries continue despite Aadhaar-linked verification.
• Asset Quality Concerns: Some assets lack durability or integration with larger development plans.

Way Forward

• Timely Fund Release: Strengthen fund transfer mechanisms to ensure uninterrupted wage payments.
• Skill Integration: Expand Project UNNATI and convergence with Skill India to ensure transition from unskilled to semi-skilled employment.
• Quality Assurance of Assets: Institute third-party monitoring to ensure durability and integration of assets with local development plans.
• Strengthen Social Audits: Empower community monitoring through greater capacity-building of Gram Sabhas.
• Green Growth Linkages: Align MGNREGA works with climate adaptation projects like afforestation, watershed management, and renewable energy-based rural infrastructure.