Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: The Journey of a Decade

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act The Journey of a Decade

Ques: Recently Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has completed its ten years of implementation, when it was came into effect?

(a) 2 January 2006
(b) 2 February 2005
(c) 2 February 2006
(d) 2 March 2005

Ans (c)

Related facts:

  • The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) completed ten years of implementation on 2nd February 2016.
  • The achievements of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration.
  • Since the start of the programme, the expenditure on the programme has amounted to 3,13,844.55 crore.
  • Out of this 71% has been spent on wage payments to workers.
  • Through this programme a total of 1,980.01 croreperson days have been generated.
  • The past year, 2015-16, has seen a revival of the programme. The person day generation is highest in the second quarter (45.88 crore) and third quarter (46.10 crore)
  • The person day generation is more compared to it has been in the last five years.
  • More than 65% of the workstaken up under the programme are linked to agriculture and allied activities.
  • 23% of all person days are being done by SC workers, and 18% by ST workers, the highest in three years.
  • Similarly the percentage of Scheduled Caste workers has consistently been about 20% and Scheduled Tribe workers have been about 17%.
  • 57% of all workers are women which are well above the statutory requirement of 33% and the highest in three years.
  • This revival has been achieved due to a slew of reforms undertaken by the Ministry of Rural Development.
  • Most important of these has been the timely release of funds to states to provide work on demand.
  • An electronic fund management system has been successfully instituted which allows for real time and transparent release of funds to implementing agencies and beneficiaries.
  • The Ministry has reacted swiftly to the distress situation of droughts in nine states by declaring an additional 50 days of employment in the drought affected areas.
  • The focus for the upcoming years will be on simplification and strengthening of procedures for the implementation of the MGNREGA as an employment guarantee.
  • The Ministry will aim to train and place 10,000 Barefoot Technicians through Project LIFE.
  • Training of workers for self-employment and livelihood up gradation.

Reference:

http://pib.nic.in/newsite/PrintRelease.aspx?relid=135959