Question

What is NREGA and when was it brought into the effect? mention its major features.

Answer 1

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 was later renamed as the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act", is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Starting from 200 districts on 2 February 2006, the NREGA covered all the districts of India from 1 April 2008. The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of "enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work".Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. MGNREGA is to be implemented mainly by gram panchayati. Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, NREGA can help in protecting the environment, empowering rural women, reducing rural-urban migration and fostering social equity, among others.