Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

Ministry of Rural Development Government of India

To a people famishing and idle, the only acceptable form in which God could dare appear was 'work and promise of food as wages

Mahatma Gandhi

Presentation Overview

 Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) Overview  NREGA & Agriculture  Convergence Initiatives taken by the Ministry

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act & Objectives

1.

2.

3.

Providing wage employment opportunities Creating sustainable rural livelihoods through rejuvenation of natural resource base i.e. augmenting productivity and supporting creation of durable assets Strengthening rural governance through decentralisation and processes of transparency and accountability

An Act to provide for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of Guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household

Employment provided to households: PERSONDAYS [in Crore] Total:

SCs: STs: Women: Others:

Average personday per household FINANCIAL DETAIL Budget Outlay (In Rs Crore): Central Release (In Rs Crore): Total available fund [including OB]: In Rs. Crore.

Expenditure (In Rs. Crore.) Average wage per day Average cost per day WORKS DETAIL Total works taken up (In Lakhs): Works completed:

Water conservation: Provision of Irrigation facility to land owned by SC/ST/ BPL/ S & MF and IAY benificiaries: Rural Connectivity: Land Development: Any other activity:

Outcomes

(FY 2006-07) 200 Districts 2.10 Crore (FY 2007-08) (FY 2008-09) (FY 2009-10) 330 Districts 615 Districts (provisional) 619 Districts 3.39 Crore 4.51 Crore 5.25 Crore 90.5

22.95 [25%] 32.98 [36%] 36.79 [41%] 34.56 [38%]

43 Days

11300 8640.85

12073.55

8823.35

Rs. 65 Rs. 97

8.35

3.87

4.51 [54%] 0.81 [10%] 1.80 [21%] 0.89 [11%] 0.34 [4%]

143.59

39.36 [27%] 42.07 [29%] 61.15 [43%] 62.16 [43%]

42 Days

12000 12610.39

19,305.81

15856.89

Rs. 75 Rs. 110

17.88

8.22

8.73 [49 %] 2.63 [15 %] 3.08 [17 %] 2.88 [16%] 0.56 [3%]

216.32

63.36 [29%] 55.02 [25%] 103.57 [48%] 97.95 [45%]

48 Days

30000 29939.60

37397.06

27250.10

Rs. 84 Rs. 126

27.75

12.14

12.79 [46%] 5.67 [20%]

282.80

86.69 [31%] 58.17 [20%] 137.39 [49%] 137.95 [49%]

54 days

39100 33506.61

49605.91

38473.36

Rs. 93 Rs. 136

45.96

20.82

23.30 [51%] 7.74 [17%] 5.03 [18%] 3.98 [15%] 7.63 [17%] 6.30 [14%] 0.28 [1%] 0.98 [2%]

NREGA: Positive Trends

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Increase in Agriculture Minimum Wages and wage earned per day and annual income. Bargaining power of labour has increased Earnings per HH has increased from Rs 2795 in 2006-07 to Rs 3150 in 2007-08 to Rs 4060 in 2008-09 and about Rs 5000 in 2009-10 Financial Inclusion: 9.19 crore accounts opened Distress migration has reduced in many parts “Green Jobs” created as 70% works relate to water conservation, water harvesting, restoration, renovation and desilting of water bodies, drought-proofing, plantation & afforestation Productivity effects of NREGA reported - Improvement in ground water - Improved agricultural productivity & cropping intensity - Livelihood diversification in rural areas.

MGNREGA AND AGRICULTURE

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Nature of MGNREGA works are such that they augment productivity Community Lands

Water conservation Water harvesting Irrigation Drought proofing Plantation & Afforestation Private Lands of SC/ST/IAY/Land Reform beneficiaries/BPL/small and marginal farmers Small & marginal farmers account for 80% of land- holdings & operate 40% of cultivated land

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Land Development Irrigation facilities Horticulture Plantation

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Renovation of water bodies

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Desilting of tanks & canals Flood control measures Rural connectivity

Highest Priority to Water Conservation

8% 1% 13% 6% 9% 3% 16% 27% 16% Flood Control and Protection Water Conservation and Water Harvesting Provision of Irrigation facility to Land Owned by SC/ST/BPL/ IAY Beneficiaries Rural Connectivity Land Development Others Drought Proofing (Afforestation & Plantation) Micro Irrigation Works Renovation of Traditional Water bodies

Leveraging MGNREGA for Sustainable Development through Inter-sectoral Convergence

   From mere wage employment to sustainable rural livelihoods From unskilled to skilled labour through knowledge & technology input, training & capacity building in productivity increases, water-use efficiency, backward–forward linkages Significant productivity increases could be stimulated by NREGA on holdings of small and marginal farmers in rainfed areas

25 20 15 10 5 0

Increasing Share of works on private lands [provision of irrigation facilities to land owned by SC/SC/IAY/BPL/Small and Marginal Farmer beneficiaries]

2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10

Improving Land and Water Productivity through MGNREGA



Expansion of private works to include Small & Marginal Farmers

-Gram Panchayats to ensure that (as per permissible list) on lands of SC / ST and BPL receive first priority 

“Pond or Dug-well on Every Farm in Rainfed Areas”: Provision of water source (farm pond / dug-well with recharge structure) on lands of small, marginal and tribal farmers

-60% lands of small & marginal farmers and 90% lands of tribal farmers are unirrigated -Special focus will be on those who benefit under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act 2006 12

MGNREGS and Schemes of Ministry of Agriculture

NREGA works catalyse agricultural development through: • Additional land under irrigation/cultivation • Improved soil fertility and moisture conservation • Convergence with NHM, RKVY, NFSM, Fisheries etc • Growth in consumption of agricultural inputs through increased household earnings So huge potential exists for NREGA convergence with agriculture and allied programmes such as; • National Horticulture Mission • Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana • National Food Security Mission 13

MGNREG Convergence with RKVY

•

Developing of rain fed farming systems in and outside watershed areas, as also integrated development of watershed areas, wastelands, river valleys

•Activities relating to enhancement of horticulture production and

popularization of micro irrigation systems;

•Collection and processing of neem seeds as part of Integrated Pest

Management

• Promote Organic farming through extensive composting and recycling

of solid waste

• Seed production, packing and processing in common and community

lands

• Common post harvest facilities for threshing, storage and labour

intensive processing

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MGNREGS with National Food Security Mission

National Food Security Mission (NFSM) The objective of the Mission

• Increase production of rice, wheat and pulses through area expansion

and productivity enhancement in a sustainable manner in the identified districts

• Restoring soil fertility and productivity at the individual farm level • Creation of employment opportunities; and enhancing farm level

economy ( i.e. farm profits) to restore confidence amongst the farmers.

Value addition to NREGS work through NFSM Individual land holding cultivators benefiting under NREGS should be included under NFSM on priority, for value addition through sharing of information: Critical role of ATMA

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Convergence with Watershed Programmes Guidelines Issued

Project of a village to be prepared on Watershed approach

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Delineation of Watershed as per Common guidelines for Watershed Under NREGA, the size can be an area of the village matching micro watershed i.e. nearly 250 to 500 hectares.

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Gap Filling through NREGA a) Areas treated under Watershed Development programme but not saturated because of insufficient cost norms. b) Difficult areas, being treated under the watershed Development programme, where the revised cost norms is also not sufficient to saturate the area.

c) New areas; neither yet treated nor planned under watershed programme and where works are to be planned on watershed approach under NREGA .

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Triggering Green Revolution in Rainfed Areas

Green Revolution bypassed the rainfed areas. Agriculture Development Programmes and MGNREGS converged have potential to become a life-support system in the rainfed areas o o o  Most MGNREGA works contribute directly or indirectly to agricultural development  Convergence of MGNREGA with agriculture and allied sectors is possible across the value chain; Pre-production - Soil and water conservation projects form bulk of MGNREGA works Production phase – Weed control in common lands, community nurseries for planting material Post harvest – Common threshing floors, village roads for connectivity to markets, composting post harvest waste

Convergence of MGNREGS with Schemes of Ministry of Agriculture can improve soil health & water conservation

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Advisory to States

      Assessment of labour & works in areas of deficient rainfall GPs to be ready with Shelf of Projects Shelf of Projects may be revised and submitted to Ministry for additional budgetary support Ensure adequate funds available in every GP Special attention to water conservation & harvesting, restoration & renovation of water bodies Convergence guidelines with Ministry of Agriculture issued. Progress should be monitored 18

Water Conservation

Plantation Works