Assam reflects a dismal picture of job generation under MGNREGA

22.5 lakh rural households provided jobs in FY 2023-24

Staff Reporter

Guwahati: Not only was the 100 days' job generation for job-card holders under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme, but even the overall job generation in the last three financial years has been showing a decreasing trend in Assam.

According to the Union  Ministry of Rural Development, in the financial year 2023-24, which ended on March 31, 2024, a total of 22.5 lakh households overall were given jobs under MGNREGA. In the previous financial year of 2022-23, a total of 23.01 lakh households were provided jobs under the scheme. Moreover, in FY 2021-22, the performance was better than in the financial year 2022-23. In that financial year, 27.36 lakh households overall got the benefit of jobs. This statistic reveals an overall decreasing trend in the generation of jobs.

Even in the case of 100 days' job offers in the recently concluded financial year 2023-24, only a total of 19,665 households got jobs under the MGNREGA scheme. Also, in the case of 100-day' job offers, it was pegged at 21,478 households during FY 2022-23. In the recently concluded financial year 2023-24, the rate of work completion under MGNREGA has been very poor.

In FY 2023-24, a total of 3,82,534 works were started under the MGNREGA scheme. Of this, only 90,553 works were completed in that FY. The overall work completion rate, thus, works out to only 23.67%.

In Assam, a total of 69.03 lakh job cards were issued under MGNREGA. Of this total, 38.66 lakh job cards were active. Of the active job cards, a total of 58.41 lakh workers are actively involved.

The objective of MGNREGA is to give a legal guarantee of wage employment to adult members of rural households who are willing to do unskilled manual labour, subject to a maximum of 100 days per household. In Assam, the scheme is implemented by the gaon panchayats and monitored by the state Panchayat and Rural Development department.

 Also Read: Assam: Declining trend in 100-days’ jobs under MGNREGA scheme (sentinelassam.com)

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