Thursday, 30 August 2012

MNREGA at a glance

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.

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