To help drought hit areas, Nitin Gadkari makes sweeping changes to MGNREGA
4 Sept 2014 4:07 AM IST
To mitigate the effect of drought and drought-like situation, union rural development minister Nitin Gadkari has ordered that 50 per cent of all works taken up by line agencies at district-level should be for water conservation works like check dam construction, de-silting of traditional water bodies, minor irrigation tanks and canals.
The decision has been taken in response to widespread criticism by members of Parliament and people’s representatives at the local level that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has become a source of corruption and that no productive assets are being created through the rural job scheme.
The minister clarified through a press note that as these works require combination of wage labour and machinery, the percentage on skilled component has been increased up to 49 per cent.
‘Increase in the skilled percentage from 40 per cent to 49 per cent is enabling provision which empowers states, if they so wish to do part of work of check dams, minor irrigation tanks with machinery, while doing balance 51 per cent on muster payment to labour,’ the press note said.
The minister further said, ‘If states wish to retain the skilled proportion to 40 per cent, they are free to do so,’ adding that rural development ministry has been directed to transfer all payments and fund to states through e-payment and on a just in time basis so that wage payment are not delayed beyond one week in any case.
The decision has been taken in response to widespread criticism by members of Parliament and people’s representatives at the local level that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has become a source of corruption and that no productive assets are being created through the rural job scheme.
The minister clarified through a press note that as these works require combination of wage labour and machinery, the percentage on skilled component has been increased up to 49 per cent.
‘Increase in the skilled percentage from 40 per cent to 49 per cent is enabling provision which empowers states, if they so wish to do part of work of check dams, minor irrigation tanks with machinery, while doing balance 51 per cent on muster payment to labour,’ the press note said.
The minister further said, ‘If states wish to retain the skilled proportion to 40 per cent, they are free to do so,’ adding that rural development ministry has been directed to transfer all payments and fund to states through e-payment and on a just in time basis so that wage payment are not delayed beyond one week in any case.
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