MGNREGA: Work completion rates dismal in past 2 years in Assam

 STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: The rates of completion of work under the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee) Act in the past two financial years in the state were dismal.

The scheme was launched by the then UPA government at the Centre through an Act. And the scheme got thrust forward by the two successive NDA governments at the Centre. In Assam, the Panchayat and Rural Development Department implements the scheme through a network of panchayats. At the Centre, the Ministry of Rural Development looks after this scheme and provides funds.

According to a report from the Union Ministry of Rural Development (as of mid-April 2023), the performance of Assam in this scheme has been dismal in the past two financial years.

In the financial year 2021–22, the State started 2,91,271 works and completed 1,24,340 of them. As of mid-April, 2023, incomplete works of the scheme in the was 1,66,931. Thus, the rate of completion of work in the financial year 2021–22 was 42.69 percent.

In the financial year 2022–23, the State Government started 6,08,298 works and completed only 71,294 of them. As of mid-April 2023, as many as 5,37,005 works were incomplete. Thus, the rate of completion of work in the financial year 2022–23 was 11.72 percent.

According to the report, the six districts of the state that recorded the rate of completion of works below five percent in the financial year 2022–23 are Baksa (2.74 percent), Bongaigaon (4.93 percent), Dima Hasao (2.69 percent), Kamrup (3.92 percent), Tamulpur (3.19 percent), and Udalguri (3.49 percent).

The Jorhat district performed the best, with 23.77 percent completion of works in the financial year 2022–23.

It augurs well for the government to find out the reasons behind such a dismal performance in the implementation of the scheme and take corrective measures.

The rates of completion of works in these financial years might have gone up slightly by now as the scheme is a continuous one.

According to the report, the state had 59.29 lakh active workers under MGNREGA as of mid-April 2023.

MGNREGA is a social security scheme launched by the Government of India that attempts to provide employment and livelihood to rural people in the country. It was enacted in 2005 with the primary objective of guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households, besides the creation of assets in rural areas.

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