Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
The MNREGA is an
Indian job guarantee scheme, enacted by legislation on August 25, 2005. The
scheme provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every
financial year to adult members of any rural household willing to do public
work-related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wages.
Provisions under MNREGA
§
Adult members of a rural household,
willing to do unskilled manual work, are required to make registration in
writing or orally to the local Gram Panchayat.
§
The Gram Panchayat, after due
verification, will issue a Job Card. The Job Card will bear the photograph of
all adult members of the household willing to work under MNREGA and is free of
cost.
§
The Job Card should be issued within
15 days of application.
§
A Job Card holder may submit a written
application for employment to the Gram Panchayat, stating the time and duration
for which work is sought.
§
Provision shall be made for submission
of multiple applications by the same person, but the periods for which employment
is sought do not overlap.
§
The Gram Panchayat will issue a dated
receipt of the written application for employment, against which the guarantee
of providing employment within 15 days operates.
§
Employment will be given within 15
days of application for work, if it is not then daily unemployment allowance as
per the Act, has to be paid. Liability of payment of unemployment allowance is
of the States.
§
Work should ordinarily be provided
within 5 km radius of the village. In case work is provided beyond 5 km, extra
wages of 10% are payable to meet additional transportation and living expenses
§
Wages are to be paid according to the
Minimum Wages Act 1948 for agricultural labourers in the State, unless the
Centre notices a wage rate which will not be less than 60 per day. Equal wages will be provided to
both men and women.
§
Wages are to be paid according to
piece rate or daily rate. Disbursement of wages has to be done on weekly basis
and not beyond a fortnight in any case.
§
At least one-third beneficiaries shall
be women who have registered and requested work under the scheme.
§
The shelf of projects for a village
will be recommended by the gram sabha and approved by the zilla panchayat.
§
At least 50% of works will be allotted
to Gram Panchayats for execution.
§
A 60:40 wage and material ratio has to
be maintained. No contractors and machinery is allowed.
§
The facility of safe drinking water,
shade for children & periods of rest, first aid box for emergency
treatments shall be provided at the worksite.
§
In case the numbers of children below
six years accompanying the women at work are five or more, one woman can be
deputed to look after them.
§
The Central Govt. bears the 100
percent wage cost of unskilled manual labour and 75 percent of the material
cost including the wages of skilled and semi skilled workers.
§
Social Audit has to be done by the
Gram Sabha.
§
Grievance redressal mechanisms have to
be put in place for ensuring a responsive implementation process.
§
All accounts and records relating to
the Scheme should be available for public scrutiny.
§
A list of persons who are provided
with the work shall be displayed on the notice of gram panchayat and at the
office of programme officer. If any personal injury is caused to any person
employed, he shall be entitled to free medical treatment as admissible under
scheme.
§
Where Hospitalization of injured
worker is necessary, the state Govt. shall arrange for it including of daily
allowance not les than half of the wage rate.
§
If the person dies, he shall be paid
by the implementing agency a compensation of Rs. Twenty five thousand or such
amount as may be notified by Central Govt.
Payment of Unemployment allowance:
§
If an applicant is not provided
employment within 15 days of receipt of his application, s/he shall be entitled
for unemployment allowance.
§
The rate shall be one fourth of wage
rate for first 30 days & half of the wage rate for remaining period.
§
The
unemployment allowance shall
be sanctioned & disbursed
by the programme officer or such
local authority.
§
Implementing agency
does not provide applicant with
work even though he/she has shown his presence within 7 days of letter
issued by Gram Panchayat.
Essential Documents
a. Registration/ job card registers
b. Application Register.
c. Job Register.
d. Material register
e. Muster Rolls (with the signature of
Programme Officer).
f. Complaints register.
g. Unemployment Allowance Register.
h. Payments register.
i. Social audit register.
j. Inspections register at work site.
Role and Responsibilities:
A Gram Sabha
§
Selection of work to be done under
REGS.
§
Monitor the execution of works within
Gram Panchayat.
§
Conduct regular social audits of all
projects under the scheme.
§
Gram Panchayat shall make available
all relevant documents including muster rolls, bills vouchers, measurement
books, copies of sanction orders and other connected books of account and papers
to the Gram Sabha for the purpose of conducting social audit.
§
Provide a stage where all information
about the scheme could be provided to villagers.
§
Checking up
of all the
applications that come
for registration
§
Complete cooperation and participation
in the implementation of scheme.
B Gram Panchayat
§
Identification of projects to be taken
under a scheme as per the recommendations of Gram Sabha.
§
Prepare a development plan and
maintain a shelf of possible works to be taken up under the scheme.
§
Forward its proposals for the
development projects to the Programme Officer for scrutiny and preliminary
approval.
§
50% of work in terms of its cost under
a scheme will be implemented through Gram Panchayat.
§
Allocate employment opportunities
among the applicants and ask them to report for work.
§
Gram panchayat shall prepare &
maintain registers, vouchers & other document containing particulars of job
cards, pass books, name, address of the head & adult member of the
household.
§
It shall send such list of households
to concerned programme officer.
§
If the Gram panchayat finds that a
person has registered furnishing false information it may direct the program
officer to shuck off his name from register and the application to return job
card.
§
Application will be given an
opportunity of being heard in the presence of two independent persons.
§
Registration of families.
§
Issuing job cards
C Block Level:
At Intermediate
level the state Government shall appoint a person who is not below the rank of
Block Development officer as Programme Officer. He shall prepare a plan for
block under his jurisdiction by consolidating the project proposals prepared by
Gram panchayat. He functions under the direction, control and superintendence
of the district programme coordinator.
The functions of Programme Officer include:
§
Monitoring of projects taken up by
Gram panchayat and other implementing agencies.
§
Sanctioning and ensuring the payment
of unemployment allowance to the eligible households.
§
Ensuring prompt and fair payment of
wages to all laborers.
§
Ensure that regular social audits of
all the workers within the jurisdiction of Gram panchayat are carried out by
Gram Sabha.
§
Dealing with all complaints that arise
in connection with implementation of schemes within the block.
§
Maintain a balance between demand for
employment and opportunities available at block level.
§
Protecting the right of the laborers
under EGS.
§
Ensure that applicant should get
employment within 15 days.
D District level:
The CEO of
district panchayat or the collector of district or any other district level
officer of appropriate rank is designated as district programme coordinator. He
shall be responsible for the implementation of the scheme in district in
accordance with provisions of this act.
Functions of district programme coordinator.
§
To assist the District Panchayat in
discharging its functions.
§
To consolidate the plans prepared by
the block and project proposals received from other implementing agencies.
§
To
accord necessary sanction
and administrative clearance
wherever necessary.
§
To
coordinate with Programme
Officers functioning within
his jurisdictions.
§
To
review, monitor and
supervise the performance
of the Programme
Officers.
§
Conduct periodic inspections of the
works in progress.
§
Redress the grievances of the
applicants.
Function of panchayat at district level:
§
To finalize and approve block wise
shelf of projects taken up under a programme.
§
To
supervise and monitor
the projects taken
up at block
and district level.
Focus of the scheme:
§
Water conservation & water
harvesting
§
Drought proofing.
§
Irrigation canals.
§
Provision of irrigation facility to
land owned by SC/ST.
§
Renovation of traditional water
bodies.
§
Land development.
§
Flood control & protection work including
drainage in water logged areas.
§
Rural connectivity to provide all
weather access.
§
Any
other work which
may be notified
by central Government
in consultation with state Government.
