Table of Contents
MGNREGA
- An analysis of data on the MGNREGA portal shows that the number of households availing MGNREGA work jumped to 89.83 lakh during May — 86.27 per cent up from 48.22 lakh in the same month last year.
RETURNED
- With migrant workers returning to their hometowns during the lockdown, the demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) saw a huge jump in May in 116 districts across six states.
- Each of these districts received more than 25,000 returning migrants. Earlier this month, the government launched the Garib Kalyan Rojgar Abhiyan in these districts to provide employment to those who have returned.
RISE
- An analysis of data on the MGNREGA portal shows that the number of households availing MGNREGA work in these districts jumped to 89.83 lakh during May — 86.27 per cent up from 48.22 lakh in the same month last year.
- Among these 116 are 32 districts from Bihar, 31 from Uttar Pradesh, 24 from Madhya Pradesh, 22 from Rajasthan, three from Jharkhand and four from Odisha.
STATS
- A record 4.89 crore persons belonging to 3.44 crore households sought work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in May.
- This is against 3.18 crore persons from 2.26 crore households for the same month last year.
- Uttar Pradesh (299.3 per cent in May 2020 over May 2019), West Bengal (214.5 per cent), Odisha (113.5 per cent), Chhattisgarh (68.9 per cent), Madhya Pradesh (65.1 per cent) and Bihar (62.1 per cent).
RISE
- Out of the six states, Uttar Pradesh accounts for the highest jump of 313.81 per cent in the number of households availing MGNREGA work. The number of households availing household work in the state’s 31 districts went up to 27.78 lakh this May against 6.71 lakh in the same month last year. These 31 districts received a total of 17.47 lakh migrant workers.
- These 116 districts have received a total of more than 63 lakh returning migrants.
HIGHEST RISE
- The number of households availing MGNREGA work in June may be more than the May figure — provisional data available up to June 26 indicates this. Up to June 26, at least 18 districts out of these 116 have registered over a 100 per cent increase in the number of households working under MGNREGA in comparison to the June numbers last year.
- Across the country, the number of households that availed work under MGNREGA this May reached the highest ever figure of 3.29 crore — the figure was 2.12 crore in the corresponding month last year. Till June 26, the figure has crossed 2.70 crore.
HOW TO IMPROVE MORE?
- First, state governments must ensure that public works are opened in every village.
- Second, local bodies must proactively reach out to returned and quarantined migrant workers and help those in need to get job cards.
- Third, at the worksite, adequate facilities such as soap, water, and masks for workers must be provided free of cost.
- Fourth, procedures for implementing MGNREGA must be simplified but not diluted.
- Fifth, The limited coverage of bank infrastructure in rural areas must not be made a hurdle. Attempts to distribute wages in cash, sans biometric authentication, must be rolled out.
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