A 23% annual increase was reported in the number of households that have completed 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) in the first three months of the current fiscal year, Parliament was informed on Friday.
Replying to a written question in Rajya Sabha, minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti said, “A total of 3,91,112 households have completed 100 days of work under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) in the months of April-June, 2021.”
During the same period last fiscal, a total of 3,18,532 households completed the 100-day work under the rural employment guarantee scheme, she said.
Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act, 2005 provides for at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult member volunteers to do unskilled manual work.
States, however, can provide additional man-days of work over and above of 100 days from its own resources.
An additional 50 days of wage employment is provided over and above 100 days in the notified drought affected areas or natural calamity areas in the country on recommendation of the agriculture and farmers welfare ministry.
The minister said, at present, there is no plan to increase days of work under MG-NREGS.