The ambitious National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) which seeks to guarantee 100 days of jobs to every rural household in India offered an average of 48.8 days of employment in 2015-16.
In fact, this was the best deal which an average rural household in the country got from the government since 2012. Last year, the average was merely 40 days, while in the preceding two years it touched 46 days, reveals an analysis of the scheme introduced in 2005 to provide livelihood to rural unskilled population.
Some states offered even less than 48 days. For instance, Uttar Pradesh could give only 33 days of average work in last fiscal. Over 12.69 crore households are registered under NREGA at present. However, active households are less than half that means approximately 7.13 crore.
Of them, less than 49 lakh households (7%) got 100 days of wage employment in the year ending March 2016 which explains the scarcity of the work and livelihood opportunities in the country.
In Gujarat, Bihar, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand, merely 3-5 per cent households have got 100 days of work. The average number of work days may decline further this year as the wage budget this year has seen a 10% cut from previous year of Rs 30,800 crore. Total annual allocation for the scheme by the Centre, including expenses on resource generation, is Rs 43,000 crore.
The job days could have been on much higher side, had the states spent the full amount at their disposal. Statistics say, not a single state in the country utilizes full labor budget. The average unspent amount ranges from 30 per cent to 50 per cent, apparently due to poorly conceived schemes and misplaced targets.
Kerala is exception as it spent 95 per cent of the budget in the last fiscal, highest in the country. Still it could provide an average 48 days of work to needy households indicating need for higher allocation.
Maharashtra though offered highest average days of work (58) in the country but it merely spent two-third of the amount even as drought continued to haunt the farmers driving 3,200 of them to commit suicide in 2015 alone, highest in 14 years. Considering the unspent amount of the states, it is estimated that the country needs at least 75 per cent more allocation in the wages budget to offer 100 days of job to every aspirant, say sector experts.
When asked about skewed job availability under the scheme, Aparajita Sarangi, Joint Secretary, Department of Rural Development (NREGA), in an email response told DNA, "MGNREGA is a demand driven programme. All 12.69 crore households do not come for work for 100 days each. On an average, over five crore households come for the job. We work very closely with the states to implement the ACT in the best possible manner."
The daily wage of NREGA ranges from Rs 150 - Rs 175 a day. The wages differ from state to state and are revised time to time as per the Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour.
Under the scheme, 14 types of jobs are carried out including water conservation and harvesting, drought-proofing among many others.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
 "NREGA")
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}