MGNREGA failing to give work to seekers

In Assam, only 28.84 person-days created last fiscal

By Our Staff Reporter

Guwahati, April 28: Nearly 3 lakh job card holders under Mahatma Gandhi tiol Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) who had put up requests for employment, were not given work in Assam during the last fincial year.

The demand for work by 2,75,909 households could not be met by the State officials, according to the latest report of the Central government.

In Cachar, 84,928 households had sought work, but only 58,169 were given employment under the scheme.

In gaon district, 1,49,062 households had put up demand for jobs, and 1,26,745 were given. According to the Act, work must be provided to every job seeker within 15 days of formal request.

In the State, a total of 359.48 lakh person-days of employment were created in the last fiscal. The average person-days in the year was 28.84.

Only 29,012 households were given the mandated 100 person days of employment during the year.

The MGNREGA was introduced in February 2006 by the then Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government.

It mandates 100 days of work in a fincial year to at least one member of each rural household – but this has never been achieved in any state. The scheme aims to generate rural assets and create rural infrastructure like roads.

According to the Central government’s performance report on MGNREGA, of the 257,847 gram panchayats under 6,858 blocks and 661 districts across the country, around 40,000 did not provide any job to any worker in fiscal 2015-16.