Lok Sabha Debates
Need To Expand The Number Of Days Of Employment Under Mgnrega -Laid. on 22 September, 2020
Seventeenth Loksabha an> Title: Need to expand the number of days of employment under MGNREGA -laid.
SHRI RAJMOHAN UNNITHAN (KASARAGOD): Indian economy is facing unprecedented crisis and is on the verge of a depression. In this context, it is high time to revamp the MGNREGA, India’s rural employment guarantee programme. Expanding the scale of work under MGNREGA will enhance purchasing power of the rural poor. In 2019- 20, around 578 lakh households demanded employment under MGNREGA across major states, but around 512 lakh households received employment. In 12 major states (out of 19), average wage rate under the MGNREGA was 50%-75% of the legally prescribed minimum wage for the unskilled workers. Hence, I request the Government of India to expand the number of days of employment to 200 days with legal minimum wage rate to every household that demands work. It will lead to a wage bill of Rs 3,13,741 crore which is more than thrice the allocated amount of Rs 1,01,500 crore. This is about 1.4% of the GDP.