The Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has recently been filed in the Supreme Court, seeking a demand for government to pay full wages to all active job card holders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) during the lockdown. Data reveals that employment under MGNREGA plunged to just over 1% of its usual rate in April 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown.
A Look at the Figures
The downturn in employment can be reflected in the number of families who were provided work under the scheme. Less than 1.9 lakh families received work in April 2020 compared to nearly 1.6 crore households in March 2020 and the 1.8 crore households served in February 2020, before the implementation of the lockdown. Chhattisgarh led with the highest employment generation under this scheme in April, providing jobs to over 70,000 families. It was closely followed by Andhra Pradesh, where more than 53,000 households were given work.
Reason for Concern
The decline in employment numbers under the scheme is alarming considering that there should have been increased demand in rural areas due to migrant workers returning home. MGNREGA was not exempted from restrictions under the lockdown despite being urged to continue implementing the scheme while adhering to social distancing guidelines. The Ministry of Finance’s announcement of a ₹20 increase in MGNREGA daily wages to support the 13.6 crore families holding job cards turned out to be insignificant as most states shut down MGNREGA worksites in an effort to curb the spread of Covid-19.
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005: An Insight
The act aims to improve the livelihood security of people in rural areas by guaranteeing hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to any rural household whose adult members (above the age of 18) are willing to do unskilled labour. The Central Government bears the entire cost of unskilled labour and 75% of the cost of materials, with the remaining 25% is shouldered by the states.
This social security and labour law is demand-driven and seeks to enforce ‘right to work’. The implementation of the scheme is monitored by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD), Government of India, in partnership with state governments. Agriculture and related activities make up over 65% of the work undertaken under the program.
Key Features of MGNREGA
Social inclusion, gender equality, social security, and equitable growth form the cornerstones of MGNREGA. In total, around 7.6 crore families hold active job cards under this scheme, and almost 5.5 crore families availed work under this scheme in 2019.
Last Modified: February 7, 2024