All About MGNREGA Scheme
The MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) is an act that acknowledges and ensures the right to work for the rural populace. This act was introduced to improve rural people’s purchasing power below the poverty line in rural India. It provides at least 100 days of wage employment in rural India to enhance their quality of life.
How Does It Work?
Adult members of rural households can submit their name, age, and address with a photo to the Gram Panchayat. The Gram Panchayat registers households after enquiring and issues a Job Card. The Job Card contains the details of the adult member enrolled with his/her photo. A registered person can submit an application for work in writing either to Panchayat or Program Officer.
Once the Job Card or MGNREGA Card is valid, the person can demand work, and the Panchayat/Program Officer would ensure a minimum of 100 workdays in a year and pay the cardholder with the wages for their labour.
Key Facts About MGNREGA
- MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to a rural household.
- Within 15 days of applying or from the day work is demanded, wage employment will be provided to the applicant.
- Social Audit of MGNREGA is mandatory, which lends to accountability and transparency.
- MGNREGA works to address climate change and protect the farmers from such risks, and conserve natural resources.
- The Gram Sabha is the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their voices and make demands.
Eligibility
MGNREGA applies to rural areas of all states and is administered by the central government. The following are the eligibility criteria under the scheme:
- Must be a Citizen of India.
- Jobseeker should be 18 years of age at the time of application.
- Applicant must volunteer for unskilled labour.
How to Apply for MGNREGA Job Card
An MGNREGA Job Card application form can be availed from the local Gram Panchayat. Key fields in the MGNREGA form are:
- Photograph of the applicant.
- Name, Age and Gender.
- Name of Village.
- Name of Gram Panchayat.
- Name of Block.
- Details of whether the applicant is of SC/ST/IAY/LR.
- Thumb impression of the applicant.
- Proof documents such as Ration card, Voter ID Card, Aadhaar, PAN card.
- Once applicable documents have been submitted, MGNREGA Job Card will be provided to the applicant within 15 days of submission.
Activities Under MGNREGA
Work activities covered in MGNREGA are as under:
- Agricultural and allied activities
- Flood management
- Agricultural and livestock
- Fisheries and coastal.
- Rural sanitation projects.
- Construction of AWC building.
How to Check MGNREGA Account Balance?
At present, there is no way to check the MGNREGA Account Balance online. However, the MGNREGA Job Card does contain some of the details that a subscriber can use to check their payout for a specific period. The job card contains details of the number of days the worker was employed, and there is a fixed wage for each day of work that has been completed and updated on the MGNREGA job card.
Benefits of MGNREGA
- The key benefits of MGNREGA are as follows:
- Paid guaranteed employment in rural areas.
- The scheme aims to alleviate the problem of unemployment in the rural sector.
- Poor people can use the scheme to alleviate their poverty and lead a normal life.
- Improvements and creation of infrastructure in villages.
- Better utilization of under-utilized and unutilized labour resources.
- Better utilization of naturally occurring land and water resources in rural areas.