New Delhi: The Central government has submitted a significant proposal to the Cabinet regarding the country’s flagship rural employment programme. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGA), originally launched by the erstwhile UPA government, is set to be renamed.
According to the decision taken today, the scheme will likely be known as the ‘Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana’. Alongside the change in nomenclature, the government is preparing to expand the scope of the programme significantly.
Enhanced Employment Guarantee
Under the proposed Pujya Bapu Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the government aims to increase the guaranteed employment period. While the current mandate provides for at least 100 days of work, the new proposal seeks to guarantee 125 days of employment per year for the poor living in rural areas.
To support this expansion, substantial financial preparations are underway. Reports indicate that preparations are in progress to allocate over ₹1.5 lakh crore for the implementation of the revamped scheme.
Background of the Scheme
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) serves as a critical labour law and social security measure. Its primary objective is to guarantee the “right to employment” by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed unskilled manual labour to rural households.
Currently, the scheme supports a massive workforce, with approximately 154 million people working under it. Notably, around one-third of these beneficiaries are women, making it a vital instrument for gender empowerment in rural India.
Evolution of the World’s Largest Programme
Considered the world’s largest work guarantee programme, the scheme was originally launched by the Manmohan Singh-led government. It was initially titled the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) before being renamed after Mahatma Gandhi in 2009.
The scheme operates on a decentralized model aimed at empowering local governance. The Panchayati Raj institutions are mandated to guarantee 50 per cent of the work. A crucial safeguard within the act ensures that if work is not provided within 15 days of an individual’s application, the state must provide an unemployment allowance.
