Record 11 Crore Worked Under “MGNREGS” in 2020-21

Record 11 Crore Worked Under “MGNREGS” in 2020-21

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) emerged as a safety net for labourers in rural areas, as tens of thousands of migrants returned to their villages following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic and the national lockdown that followed last year. According to Government data, over 11 crore people worked under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during the financial year 2020-21.

What is MGNREGA?

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act MGNREGA is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Key Features of MGNREGS

The Key Features of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) are-

• Worker to be hired when he demands and not when the Government wants it.
• Gram Panchayat is mandated to provide employment within 15 days of work application failing which worker is entitled to unemployment allowance
• Payment of wages within 15 days of competition of work failing which worker is entitled to delay compensation of 0.05%/ day of wages earned.

MGNREGA Scheme during 2020-21

• The Budgetary Estimate for the scheme in 2020-'21 was Rs 61,500 crore.
• During the financial year 2020-21, around 11 crore people worked under the MGNREGS.
• This is the first time since the launch of the scheme in 2006-07 that the MGNREGS  numbers crossed the 11-crore mark in a year.
• Further, the 11 crore mark is also higher by about 41.75% in 2019-20 when about 7.88 crores worked.
• The expenditure on MGNREGS has also increased. In 2020-21, the total expenditure was 62.31% higher than in 2019-20.
• In 2020-21, the number of households that completed 100-day employment reached an all-time high of 68.58 lakh, an increase of 68.91% from 40.60 lakh in 2019-20.
• The average days of employment provided per household too went up marginally from 48.4 days in 2019-20 to 51.51 days in 2020-21.