Financial Express, April 13, 2025
Parliamentary panel urges overhaul of MGNREGS, recommending a national survey, 150+ workdays, ₹400 daily wages, and improved social audits. Highlights wage delays, card deletions, and calls for reforms to boost rural employment and income stability.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on rural development and panchayati raj has recommended an independent national survey of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) to assess its effectiveness and determine whether it needs revamping in light of emerging challenges.
“The committee believes that a comprehensive national survey should be conducted to assess the effectiveness of MGNREGS,” said the panel chief Congress MP Saptagiri Sankar Ulaka.
The survey should examine worker satisfaction, wage delays, participation trends and financial irregularities. “The committee recommends independent and transparent survey across the country to gain valuable insights about the programme’s shortcomings and introduction of necessary policy reforms accordingly to increase the effectiveness of MGNREGS,” the report added.
Stressing the need to modernise the scheme, the panel noted that while MGNREGS currently guarantees 100 days of employment, various stakeholders have called for an increase. “The scheme needs to be revamped, keeping in view the changing times and emerging challenges. The committee urges the ministry to explore the options that could increase the number of guaranteed working days under MGNREGA to at least 150 days from the current 100 days,” the committee said.
The panel also recommended that for climate mitigation and disaster relief, the current work limit of 150 days under the Drought Relief Provision must be increased to 200 days.
It said while directive has been issued to provide 150 days of wage employment under MGNREGA for Scheduled Tribe households living in forest areas, work limit under the Forest Rights Act should also be extended from 150 to 200 days to ensure income stability for vulnerable communities.
Expressing concern over the failure of wages to keep up with inflation, the committee said base wage rates under the MGNREGS should be revised to ensure they align with the current economic realities and provide “respectful wages” to rural workers.
“At least Rs 400 per day should be provided as wages, as the current rates are inadequate to meet even basic daily expenses,” they said. Noting “chronic delays in wage payments,” the report also recommended increasing the compensation rate for delayed wages.
To enhance transparency and accountability, the panel urged more frequent social audits and asked the rural development ministry to establish a Social Audit Calendar. It raised concerns over the deletion of approximately 5 million job cards in 2021–22 due to minor spelling errors or Aadhaar mismatches, observing that thousands of eligible workers continue to be denied work. “The committee strongly recommends that a system must be introduced by Department of Rural Development to allow manual verification and corrections so that workers are not unjustly removed from the programme,” it concluded.
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