The government of India passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, or Nrega, in September 2005. The government’s flagship rural employment scheme – National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) – provides the guarantee of, at least, 100 days of work in a financial year to the unskilled rural workforce in India. For drought/natural calamity-notified areas, there is the provision for additional 50 days of unskilled wage employment in a financial year.

While the law was earlier named NREGA, the name was changed to MGNREGA after an amendment to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, on October 2, 2009.

The Union Ministry of Rural Development monitors the implementation of the MGNREGA, along with state governments.

NREGA: Main facts

Name of the scheme	NREGS (National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme)
Applicable law	NREGA or MGNREGA
Name changed to MGNREGA	October 2, 2009
Official website	https://nrega.nic.in/
Objectives	Providing at least 100 days of unskilled manual work as guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas. Strengthening the livelihood base of the poor. Ensuring social inclusion. Strengthening Panchayati Raj institutions.
Passed by Parliament	August 23, 2005
Came into force	September 7, 2006
Implementing authority	Union Ministry of Rural Development and state governments
Coverage	All rural areas in India

NREGA objective

The objective of the scheme is to provide a supplementary source of living to unskilled and semi-skilled adult members of rural households in India, especially the land-less workforce below the poverty line.

Difference between NREGA and NREGS

NREGA	NREGS
Is the law governing NREGS	Scheme launched under the NREGA law
Governed by the centre	To be governed under the central law by state governments
Can be amended by the central government	Can be amended by state governments
Notified on September 7, 2005	States notified NREGS rules within a year after September 7, 2005
Prescribes rules	Prescribes implementation

NREGA registration and NREGA job card

To get work under the scheme, all adult members of a family need to approach the gram panchayat and submit their details for NREGA registration. After the registration, NREGA job cards are issued to eligible workers. NREGA job cards are linked with the card holder’s Aadhaar and bank account.

A registered NREGA worker can apply for at least 14 days of continuous work by approaching the gram panchayat. The gram panchayat will help the NREGA cardholder get work within a five-kilometre radius of his address. In case the NREGA worker has to travel more than five kms for work, he will be eligible for an extra payment.

See also: All about the NREGA job card list

Rights of NREGA cardholders

• Application for registration.
• Obtaining a job card.
• Obtaining a dated receipt for the application for work.
• Getting work within 15 days’ of applying or from the date when work is sought, if the application has been made in advance, whichever is later.
• Choice of duration and time of work.
• Facilities of drinking water, crèche, first aid, etc., at the worksite.
• 10% extra wage if employment is beyond a five-km radius.
• Check their muster rolls and get all the information regarding their employment.
• Weekly payment, maximum within a fortnight of the date on which the work was completed.
• Unemployment allowance if employment is not given within 15 days of submitting the application.
• Compensation for delay in payment of wages, at the rate of 0.05% of the unpaid wages per day beyond the 16th day of closure of muster roll.
• Medical treatment for injury in the course of employment, including hospitalisation cost and ex-gratia payment in case of death or disability.

Type of works under NREGA

• Water harvesting and conservation structures like earthen dams, stop dams and check dams or underground dykes.
• Watershed management works such as contour trenches or bunds, terracing, boulder checks, gabion structures and spring shed development.
• Micro and minor irrigation works.
• Creation, maintenance and renovation of drains and irrigation canals.
• Renovation of traditional water bodies.
• Afforestation, tree plantation and horticulture.
• Land development works on common land.
• Improving productivity of lands of households.
• Improving livelihoods through horticulture, plantation, farm forestry and sericulture.
• Development of waste lands / fallow lands of households.
• Infrastructure for the promotion of livestock, such as poultry shelters, goat shelters, piggery shelters, cattle shelters and fodder troughs for cattle.
• Creating infrastructure for the promotion of fisheries, such as fish drying yards and storage facilities and promotion of fisheries in seasonal water bodies.
• Work for promoting agricultural productivity by creating durable infrastructure required for bio-fertilisers and post-harvest facilities, including pucca storage facilities for agricultural produce.
• Common work sheds for livelihood activities of self-help groups.
• Rural sanitation-related works, such as individual household latrines, school toilet units and anganwadi toilets.
• Construction of all-weather rural roads.
• Construction of play fields.
• Works towards improving disaster preparedness, such as restoration of roads or other essential public infrastructure, flood control and protection works, deepening and repairing of flood channels, providing drainage in water-logged areas, chaur renovation and construction of stormwater drains for coastal protection.
• Construction of buildings for gram panchayats, women self-help groups, cyclone shelters, anganwadi centres, village haats and crematoria.
• Construction of structures for storage of foodgrains.
• Production of building construction materials.
• Maintenance of rural public assets.
• Any other work notified by the centre.

Also read all about Tnvelaivaaippu employment exchange online registration, login and renewal process

NREGA payment

NREGA payment is made in the bank account or post office account of an NREGA card holder. However, the payment can also be made in cash, in areas where banking infrastructure is poor.

NREGA wage rate 2023

The Centre on March 31, 2023, notified the new NREGA wage rates for FY 2023-24. The new wage rate came into effect on April 1, 2023.

State-wise NREGA wage list 2023

With effect from April 1, 2023

State	NREGA wage in Rs per day
Andhra Pradesh	Rs 272
Arunachal Pradesh	Rs 242
Assam	Rs 238
Bihar	Rs 228
Chhattisgarh	Rs 221
Goa	Rs 322
Gujarat	Rs 256
Haryana	Rs 357
Himachal Pradesh	Rs 224: Non- scheduled areas Rs 280: Scheduled areas
Jammu and Kashmir	Rs 244
Ladakh	Rs 244
Jharkhand	Rs 228
Karnataka	Rs 316
Kerala	Rs 333
Madhya Pradesh	Rs 221
Maharashtra	Rs 273
Manipur	Rs 260
Meghalaya	Rs 238
Mizoram	Rs 249
Nagaland	Rs 224
Odisha	Rs 237
Punjab	Rs 303
Rajasthan	Rs 255
Sikkim	Rs 236 Rs 254 (in Gnathang, Lachung and Lachen gram panchayats)
Tamil Nadu	Rs 294
Telangana	Rs 272
Tripura	Rs 226
Uttar Pradesh	Rs 230
Uttarakhand	Rs 230
West Bengal	Rs 237
Andaman & Nicobar	Rs 311: Andaman district Rs 328: Nicobar district
Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu	Rs 297
Lakshadweep	Rs 304
Puducherry	Rs 294

Source: Ministry of Rural Development

NREGA wage rate 2022

The Centre in March 2022 notified the new NREGA wage rates for FY 2022-23. The new wage rate came into effect on April 1, 2022. The hike in rates across states was in the range of 1.77% to 7%. The highest rate hike was announced for Goa where daily wages were revised to Rs 315 per day in 2022-23 as against Rs 294 per day in 2021-22. The lowest increase of 1.77% was in Meghalaya. The new NREGA wage was fixed at Rs 230 per day.

State	NREGA wages in 2021-22 (Rs)	NREGA wages in 2022-23 (Rs)	Absolute change (Rs)
Andaman and Nicobar Islands	294	308	14
Andhra Pradesh	245	257	12
Assam	224	229	5
Arunachal Pradesh	212	216	4
Bihar	198	210	12
Chhattisgarh	193	204	11
Dadra and Nagar Haveli	269	278	9
Daman and Diu	269	278	9
Goa	294	315	21
Gujarat	229	230	10
Haryana	315	331	16
Himachal Pradesh	254	266	12
J&K	214	227	13
Jharkhand	198	210	12
Karnataka	289	311	20
Kerala	291	311	20
Lakshadweep	266	284	18
Madhya Pradesh	193	204	11
Maharashtra	284	256	8
Manipur	291	291	No change
Meghalaya	226	230	4
Mizoram	233	233	No change
Nagaland	212	216	4
Odisha	215	222	7
Puducherry	273	281	8
Punjab	269	282	13
Rajasthan	221	231	10
Sikkim	212	222	10
Tamil Nadu	273	281	8
Telangana	245	257	12
Tripura	212	212	No change
Uttar Pradesh	204	213	9
Uttarakhand	204	213	9
West Bengal	213	223	10

Centre to define minimum work requirement under MGNREGA: Report

October 2022: The Central government will now define the minimum work required to earn a day’s wages under the MGNREGA, The Economic Times reported. So far, states decided the minimum quantum of work required to earn a day’s wages under India’s biggest anti-poverty scheme job guarantee scheme.

Compensation for delay in NREGA payment

Under NREGS, wages have to be paid weekly and not later than a fortnight from the date on which the work was completed. MGNREGA workers are entitled to receive compensation at a rate of 0.05% of the unpaid wages per day, for the duration of the delay beyond the 16th day of the closure of the work.

NREGA Latest News

No deficit of funds under NREGA: Govt

October 23, 2023: Rural development and panchayati raj minister Giriraj Singh has said that there is no deficit of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). While briefing the media on the nine years’ achievements of his ministry on October 20, Singh said that the finance ministry was approached for additional funds under the scheme, adding that the money would be sanctioned soon. The minister also informed that a total of 2,644 crore person days have been generated during the past nine years under the government’s employment guarantee scheme.  More than Rs 6.63 lakh crore have been released as the Central share under the NREGA, he added.

Read full coverage here.

Nearly Rs 56,106 cr released under NREGA in this fiscal so far: Govt

October 6, 2023: The government has so far released nearly Rs 56,106 crore under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the ongoing financial year (FY24), official data show. The Budget estimate for the Centre’s flagship employment guarantee scheme is Rs 6,000 crore. Last fiscal, Rs 90,810 crore was released for the demand-driven scheme as against the Revised Budget Estimate of Rs 89,400, official data show. However, funds released under the scheme stood at its highest level at Rs 1,11,171 crore during FY21.

Read full coverage here.

NREGA attendance app modified to offer workers more ease: Govt

August 9, 2023: The government had modified the mobile application, launched for attendance of NREGA workers, Union minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti told the Lok Sabha in a written reply.

According to the statement issued by the minister on August 8, the NMMS app has been modified to capture the second photograph of the workers after four hours of uploading the attendance and first photograph.

“The morning attendance along with the first photograph and second photograph can be captured in (an) offline mode and (can be) uploaded once the device comes into a network. In case of exceptional circumstances due to which the attendance could not be uploaded, the district programme coordinator has been authorised to upload the manual attendance,” it added.

Read full coverage here.

No NREGA workers denied wage due to Aadhaar-based payment system: Govt

August 2, 2023: No worker under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) was denied wage payment due to the Aadhaar-based payment system (ABPS), the ministry of rural development said today.

“To ensure timely payment of wages to the beneficiaries under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and to address the issues arises due to frequent change of bank account numbers by the beneficiaries and subsequent non-updation by the programme officers, it has been decided to adopt the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS), which does not get affected due to change of bank account. (This is also done) to ensure that only genuine beneficiaries should get benefit of the scheme… For this, Aadhaar-Base Payment System is the best alternative,” the ministry said.

Read full coverage here.

Mixed payment mode for NREGA till August 31: Govt

The Centre has decided to have a mixed model for wage payment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) by extending the deadline to switching to the Aadhaar-based payment system till August 31, 2023 . This decision, announced by the agriculture ministry on social media platforms, has been taken after states made a request in this regard. This is the fourth time this deadline had been extended.

Use 70% NREGA funds in water-deficient blocks: Govt panel

June 21, 2023: The committee, appointed by the rural development ministry in October 2022, has recommended linking the NREGA with asset creation in the poorest blocks of India, The Economic Times reported.  The panel has recommended a complete overhaul of the rural employment guarantee scheme to link job generation efforts with asset creation, largely concentrated in 2,500 water-deficient and 1,000 poverty-ridden blocks of the total 7,245 blocks, the report added.

Mixed payment mode for NREGA to continue till June 30: Govt

The Centre has decided to have a mixed model for wage payment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) by extending the deadline to switching to the Aadhaar-based payment system till June 30, 2023 . This decision has been taken after states made a request in this regard. The earlier deadline was March 31, 2023.

Read full coverage here.

Demand for NREGA increases in May: Official data

June 6, 2023: In May 2023, around 31.74 million households sought work under the NREGA. This is the highest work demand for the month barring the Covid-19 pandemic year, official data show.  However,  only 22.3 million households were provided with work during the month. In April 2023, around 24.06 million households had sought work under the scheme

Govt to conduct social audit of Amrit Sarovars built using NREGA funds

May 18, 2023: A government will deploy a social audit team to evaluate Amrit Sarovars built constructed or rejuvenated using MGNREGA funds, the rural development ministry said in a statement on May 17, 2023. The decision was taken during a high-level meeting to review the progress, monitor and ensure the quality of the Amrit Sarovar Mission.  Under the mission, the government plans to build and rejuvenate 75 water bodies in each district of the country. Launched by Prime Minister on April 24, 2022, the programme has already achieved a national target of 50,000.

Kerala launches welfare board to provide pension to NREGA workers

May 16, 2023: The Kerala government on May 15, 2023, launched a welfare fund board for the workers registered under the NREGA. The Kerala Welfare Fund Board for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme would provide NREGA workers get a monthly pension from the board on they turn 60. It will also provide financial assistance for medical treatment, education, marriage, etc., from the board.

Read full coverage here.

NREGA workers may get text message confirming attendance

May 8, 2023: The rural development ministry is considering a proposal under which it will providing NREGA workers an SMS-based confirmation of their attendance at the end of each workday or the end of one work schedule, The Hindu reported.  The government has mandated mobile-based attendance for all NREGA workers, except individual beneficiary schemes and projects, from January this year through the National Mobile Monitoring System app. Worksite supervisors are responsible for capturing attendance along with the geo-tagged photographs of the workers through the app.

Govt may not roll back app-based attendance for NREGA workers

The government is unlikely to roll back the app-based attendance for NREGA workers, indicates a notification issued by the rural development ministry on March 29, 2023. The Centre has mandated mobile-based attendance for all NREGA workers from January 1, 2023, through the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app. “All the issues concerning the NMMS application are reviewed and resolved from time to time,” Niranjan Jyoti told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on March 29, 2023.

Read full coverage here.

Govt hikes NREGA wage rate for FY24

The government has increased wages under its flagship NREGA scheme for the financial year 2023-24, news agency PTI reported. The monthly hike in wages is in the range of Rs 7 to Rs 26 and 2 to 10 percentage points across states, and would come into effect from April 1, 2023, the report added.

In the revised wage list, NREGA workers in Haryana would get the highest daily wage at Rs 357 while those in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh will get the lowest daily wage at Rs 221.

Read full coverage here.

Mixed payment mode for NREGA to continue till March

The Centre has decided to have a mixed model for wage payment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) till March 31, 2023. This decision has been taken after states made a request in this regard.

Read full coverage here.

5.97 cr households asked for work so far under NREGA in FY23

A total of 5.97 crore households have availed of employment under the NREGA so far in the financial year 2022-23, official data till March 9, 2023, show.   Last fiscal, a total of 7.25 households had availed of employment under the Central scheme.

Bihar cancels 39.36 lakh NREGA job cards

The rural development ministry of the Bihar government in February 2023 cancelled 39.36 lakh NREGA job cards of inactive labourers. The beneficiaries had not worked a single day in the past 3 years, were still earning wages under the Central government’s job guarantee scheme. The move by the department was initiated after Aadhaar cards of the beneficiaries did not match with their job cards. The highest number of cancellations were reported from Patna, Vaishali, Samastipur, Bhagalpur, Bhojpur and Darbhanga.

Actual NREGA fund releases more than that Budget Estimate: Govt

The Centre on February 3, 2023, said it was committed to releasing funds for the proper implementation of the NREGA scheme. Issuing clarifications on the issue of Budget allocation cut on the NREGA in the Union Budget-2023-24, the rural development ministry said that the additional fund would be provided for the provide scheme as and when required.

While stating the actual releases to states have been much higher than that provided for at the Budget Estimate (BE) level, the ministry said that the government was committed to release funds for wage and material payments for proper implementation of the scheme.

NREGA fund release in previous years

Source: Ministry of rural development

For full coverage, click here. 

MNREGA demand-driven scheme, getting sufficient funds: Minister

The NREGA is a demand-driven scheme, and the government has always allocated sufficient funds for the programme, says rural development minister Giriraj Singh said on February 9, 2023. “Those criticising the (Budget) allocation should understand what the MNREGA is before saying that the allocation has gone down. In 2020, we had only Rs 62,000 crore allocation and the expenditure was Rs 1,12,000 crore. Every year, the MNREGA budget (allocation) is around Rs 70,000 crore,” Singh told the media. In Budget 2023-24, the scheme is allocated Rs 60,000 crore. In 2022-23, the amount stood at Rs 73,000 crore. The expenditure according to the Revised Estimate was Rs 89,400 crore.

Release of NREGA funds to West Bengal stooped under Section 27: Minister

Release of funds to West Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has been stopped under the provision of Section 27 of Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act,  Union Minister of State for Rural Development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti told the Rajya Sabha in a written reply on February 8, 2023. The government has blocked payment of over Rs 7,500 crore of funds to the east Indian state for “non-compliance of directives of the Central government”.

Section 27 of the law gives the Central government the power to stop release of funds in case of monetary impropriety. “The Central government may on receipt of any complaint regarding the issue or improper utilisation of funds granted under this Act in respect of any Scheme if prima facie satisfied that there is a case cause an investigation into the complaint made by any agency designated by it and if necessary order stoppage of release of funds to the scheme and institute appropriate remedial measures for its proper implementation within a reasonable period of time,” reads the section.

Govt trims NREGA allocation to increase PMAY, Jal Jeevan budget: CEA

Chief Economic Advisor V Anantha Nageswaran on February, 6, 2023, said the allocation for NREGS has been reduced in the Budget for 2023-24 as more funds have been allocated towards the Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana and the Jal Jeevan Mission, which are expected to provide jobs to the same set of workers in rural areas.

“One of the reasons why allocation for the NREGS was lowered is because there is a much larger substantive increase in allocation in particularly the PMAY (rural) and the Jal Jeevan Yojana… so, the expectation is that the rural workers would be able to find jobs in these projects,” he said.

“If they (rural workers) don’t get absorbed (in PMAY or Jal Jeevan Mission)… we can accommodate them through higher allocation in MGNREGS since it is a demand-driven programme,” he added.

NREGA workers bodies slam cut in Budget allocation

The NREGA Sangharsh Morcha and the Peoples’ Action for Employment Guarantee on February 4, 2023, said the FY 2023-24 Budgetary allocations for the NREGA is a “travesty” and “an assault” on people’s right to work.

“This (the Budget allocation) amounts only to around 1% of the GDP, and is in fact a conservative estimate that considers only households that were employed this year at the estimated minimum wage rate… This unjust allocation by the government is an assault on rights of rural workers and is a step towards killing the programme. In response, NREGA workers around the country hit the road on NREGA Diwas (February 2) to protest against budget cuts,” the organisations said in a statement.

To read full coverage, click here.

Budget 2023: NREGA allocation drops by over 32%

The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has lowered the Budget allocation for the Centre’s flagship job guarantee scheme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA).

The Budget, presented by finance minister Nrmala Sitharaman on February 1, 2023, has earmarked Rs 60,000 crore for implementing the rural job scheme in 2023-24, more than 32% less than the Revised Budget allocation for FY23. In the previous Budget, the NREGA was allocated Rs 73,000 crore while the revised estimate for FY23 was Rs 89,400 crore. This year’s allocation is the lowest seen in the past four budgets, covering this entire term of the Narendra Modi government.

To read full coverage, click here.

5.6 cr households received employment under NREGA: Economic Survey 2023

Under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), a total of 5.6 crore households availed of employment and a total of 225.8 crore person-days employment has been generated till January 6, 2023, the Economic Survey 2022-23 has revealed.

According to the survey that was tabled in the Lok Sabha by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, the number of works done under the NREGA has steadily increased over the years, with 85 lakh completed works in FY22 and 70.6 lakh completed works so far in FY23 (as on January 9, 2023).

“These works include creating household assets such as animal sheds, farm ponds, dug wells, horticulture plantations, vermicomposting pits, etc., in which the beneficiary gets both labour and material costs as per standard rates,” the Survey says.

Meanwhile, the Economic Survey also observes a year-on-year (YoY) decline in monthly demand for the MGNREGS work and this the Survey notes is emanating from normalisation of the rural economy due to strong agricultural growth and a swift bounce-back from the Covid-19.

To read full coverage, click here.

Govt may increase Budget allocation for NREGA in 2023

The government may increase the allocation for the NREGA in the Budget 2023-24, say experts, amid an increase in the number of people seeking work under the central scheme. In last year’s Budget, the government allocated Rs 73,000 crore budget for the NREGA and later sought supplementary grant of Rs 45,174 crore for the scheme.

FAQs

When was the NREGA law passed by Parliament?

The Indian parliament passed the MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) on August 23, 2005.

When was NREGA notified?

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was notified through the Gazette of India (Extraordinary) Notification on September 7, 2005. It came into effect on February 2, 2006, in 200 backward districts.

What is a household under NREGA?

Under NREGA, a household refers to members of a family who are related to each other by blood, marriage or adoption and are residing together and share meals or hold a common ration card.

Who fixes the NREGA rate list?

The central government fixes state-wise wage rates for NREGA workers, under Sub-section (1) of Section 6 of the MGNREGA, 2005. The rate for MGNREGA wages are fixed, according to the changes in the Consumer Price Index-Agriculture Labour. This index reflects the increase in inflation in rural areas.