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Rural Development FAQ / NREGS |
National Rural Employment
Guarantee Act
1. The Government of
2. Who
can apply for employment under the Act?
All adult members of a
rural household, even if any person is already employed/engaged for few months
in a year, he/she has right to demand employment as unskilled manual worker
under this scheme.
3. What
is the kind of employment that the Act guarantees?
The Act guarantees unskilled manual employment, but also
addresses the special need of physically challenged individuals and women.
4. How
many days of the year can one get this employment?
A household is entitled
for 100 days of work in a year and that can be divided among adult members of
the household or whatever way the head of the household wants.
5. What
must one do to enlist for employment under the Act?
Registration of household: The adult members of every household
should submit their names, age, sex and address to the Gram Panchayat
for registration and this registration will be valid for five years and is open
for the whole year. Gram panchayat will do the
verification of details submitted by household for registration.
6. What
will the applicant receive upon registration?
A Job Car from the Gram Panchayat,
this card will have photographs of adult members of registered household, it will be valid for five years and will have a
unique registration number.
7. What
is a Job Card. Why is it important?
A Job Card is important
because it will have the registration number of the household. This card will
have details about number of days on which employment provided to adult members
of household and wages paid, would also enlist the works in which employment
was given to the household etc.
A Job Card is a document that gives and applicant an
entitlement for employment.
8. Where
can one apply for work?
One can apply for work preferable at Gram Panchayat,
but in case of non-availability of work at the Gram Panchayat
level the application could be made to the Programme
Officer.
9. How
can one apply for work?
Application for work: to get employment the registered adult
should request for it through an applicant on a plain paper in writing to Gram Panchayat or Programme Officer
(at block level) and ask dated receipt of application. The applicant should be
submitted for at least 14 days of continuous work.
For employment an application by a group can also be submitted,
besides application in advance can also be submitted, indicating the date from
which he/she wants employment under the Scheme.
10. Can
individual application for work be submitted?
Yes, Registration of employment seekers is done
household-wise. But within a registered households’ entitlement is for 100 days
of employment in a year and the individual members of the household can also
apply for work.
11. Where
can one get employment within 15 days of the application or from the day when
work is demanded?
Within 15 days of submitting the application, employment will
be provided to the individual.
If employment is not provided, then the applicant would be
entitled to receive un-employment allowance.
12. Who
will allot employment?
Gram Panchayat and Programme Officer
13. How
will one know that one has been given employment?
Applicants are to be
told where and when to report for work within 15 days, by a letter sent by the
Gram Panchayat. There will also be a public notice
displayed on the notice board of the Gram Panchayat
and at the office of the Programme Officer at the
Block level, providing information on the place, date and the names of those
provided employment.
14. What
has the applicant to do once the employment letter has been received?
Report for work with Job
Card on the date specified at the site where work has been allotted.
15. What
happens if he/she does not report for work?
If the person
communicated about employment doesnot report for work
within fifteen days of being notified by the Gram Panchayat
or Programme Officer, he or she would not be entitled
for unemployment allowance.
16. Can he
re-apply for work?
Yes.
17. What
are the wages he will get?
The statutory minimum wage applicable to
agricultural workers in the State unless the Central Government “overrides”
this by notifying a different wage rate. If the Central Government
decides, it may notify a wage rate, which will not be less than Rs. 60/- day.
18. What
will be the mode of payment-daily wages or piece rates?
Both are permitted under
the Act. If wages are paid on a piece-rate basis, the schedule of rates has to
be such that a person working for seven hours would normally earn the minimum
wage.
19. Where
will wages be paid?
Wages are to be paid every week, or
in any case “not later than a fortnight after the date on which such work was
done”. A proportion of the wages in cash may be paid on a daily basis.
20. What
facilities are to be made available to workers?
Safe drinking water, shade
for children and periods of rest, first-aid box with adequate material for
emergency treatment for minor injuries and other health hazards connected with
the work.
21. Where
will work be provided?
Within 5 km of applicants residence.
If employment is provided beyond 5 km radius of the applicant’s residence then
he/she is entitled for 10% additional wages towards transport and living
expenses. If some persons are directed for work beyond 5 kilometre, than persons older in age and women shall
be given preference to work on worksites near to the village.
22. What
are the facilities and provisions for a worker?
a) At work site: Safe
Drinking water, shades for children, periods of rest and first-aid box shall be
provided at every work site by the implementing agency.
b) In case of accidents: If
any labourer gets bodily injury during the course of
employment at work site, the persons is entitled for free medical treatment
from the State Government.
In case of hospitalization of the injured labourer,
the respective State Government shall provide complete treatment, medicines,
hospital accommodation without any charge and the injured person will be
entitled for daily allowance which shall not be less than 50% of wage rate
applicable.
In case of death or permanent disability to the registered labourer due to accident at work site, an ex-gratia payment of Rs. 25,000 or
such amount as may be notified by the central Government shall be paid to the
legal heir of the deceased or to the disabled as the case may be.
23. What
happens if employment is not given to the eligible applicant?
If the eligible applicant does not get employment within 15
days of demand of work or the date from which he sought work (date of
submitting application), he shall be provided unemployment allowance as per
laid down terms and conditions.
Allowance rate: The rate of unemployment allowance will be
25% of the wage rate for the first 30 days and 50% of the wage rate after that
during the financial year subject to the household entitlements of days of
employment.
24. What
type of work will be given?
a) Durable assets: An
important objective of Scheme is to create durable assets and strengthen the
livelihood resource base of the rural poor, so that, even if Scheme is closed
after five years, the rural poor will have means for sustenance and they are
not forced to migrate in search of employment.
b) Work done
through contractors is not permissible.
c) The kind of works
permissible under the Programme and according to
priority are :-
i) water conservation and water harvesting;
ii) drought proofing. Afforestation and tree plantation.
iii) irrigation canals including micro and minor irrigation
works;
iv) provision of
irrigation facility to land owned by households belonging to the Scheduled
Castes and Scheduled Tribes or to land beneficiaries of land reforms or that of
the beneficiaries under the Indira Awas Yojana of the Government of
India.
v) renovation of
traditional water bodies including desilting of
tanks;
vi) land development;
vii) flood control and protection works including drainage in
water logged areas;
viii) rural connectivity
to provide all-weather access. The construction of roads may include culverts
where necessary and within the village area may be taken up along with drains.
ix) any other work
which may be notified by the Central Government in consultation with the State
Government
25. Who are
the authorities responsible for implementation?
a) Responsibility: Programme
office in consultation with Gram Panchayat will be
responsible for implementation of the Scheme.
b) Execution of works: The
Gram Panchayat will execute 50% of the sanctioned
work and remaining work can be executed by line departments, NGOs and other
appropriate agencies, as may be decided by District Panchayat.
26. What does each one do?
(i) Gram Sabha: Social Audit, Planning and Selection of works and
according priority to works,
(ii) Gram Panchayat:
Preparation of Plan for the Gram Panchayat,
registration of workers, Providing Job Card to workers, Implementing 50% of the
works. Payment of wages, Monitoring the performance of
Programme in its area.
(iii) Programme Officer:
Planning for the Block, Integrate the village-wise Plans, allotment of work,
Implementation of Programme and provide employment to
the workers, Provide Unemployment Allowance
(iv) Intermediate Panchayat:
preparation of Block Level Plans, Monitoring and supervision of Programme at the Block level.
(v) District Programme
Coordinator: overall Planning, Coordination, Implementation
in the District.
(vi) District Panchayat:
Planning and Monitoring of programme
in the District
27. How are
they accountable for what they do?
The are accountable through
continuous and concurrent evaluation and audit of the programme
by internal as well external evaluators. The authority to conduct social audit
is vested in Gram Sabha, a Village Level Vigilance
committed is to be setup by Gram Sabha to oversee
each work. Moreover, any contravention of the Act shall on conviction be liable
to fine which may extend to one thousand rupees. There will also be a Grievance
Redressal Mechanism, that
would be setup in each District.
28. When
will the Scheme start?
The Act will be notified in 200 districts identified by the
Central Government in the first phase on
Guidelines and Rules have been finalized. Most of the States
have also formulated their Employment Guarantee Schemes.
29. What
are the Guidelines and why are they required?
For the first time a legal entitlement has been provide to
the workers to get employment by an Act of Parliament. To transmit an enactment
into Schemes and Programmes, State level Schemes are
being formulate by each State. Centre has issued
guidelines to States, to provide them with basic structure for the preparation
of their Schemes. In preparation of Schemes, a high degree of flexibility has
been given to the States.
30. What
was the process of formulation of Guidelines?
A detailed process of consultations was devised by the
Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India with various groups of
stakeholders, experts and practitioners. Suggestions were also solicited from
the citizens, through advertisements in news papers. Through such detailed process
the views were gathered and discussions conducted, which eventually resulted in
the formulation of guidelines. Similarly States have initiated the process of
formulation of rules and Schemes.
31. What
are the activities to be taken before the notification?
a. A wide and detailed communication campaign
to inform and educate the Stakeholders has been initiated. Gram Sabhas in the NREGA districts would be held on
b. States to finalise
the list of works and prepare shelf of projects, with Technical and
Administrative sanction accorded to the works. It is planned do be done in such
a manner that the works are available to be taken up in each
village/habitation, specially in deprived areas.
c. Key personnel involved in implementation
of the Programme are being deployed.
d. key
functionaries, such as functionaries of Panchayati Raj and Officials involved with implementation of the Programme are being oriented for implementation.
e. Essential documents like statinary for registration, Job Card are being printed.
32. What does notification mean and what are the
activities to be taken up on that day?
The notification of districts where the Programme is to be implemented would be done on February2,
2006. On this day Gram Sabha is to be held in each
village and the process of registration workers would commence, but works would
not start on this day.
33. What activities would be taken up after
notification?
After the receipt of application for registration of workers, Gram Panchayat would conduct scrutiny of applications for
registration, which would result in provision of Job Cards to those who would
be found fit. After compilation of data an gereration of demand for employment, work would be
allotted.
34. What are the activities to be taken up
within six months?
Training is continuing process and would
continue along with the implementation of the Programme.
Employment would be provided to adults volunteering to do unskilled work, which
should result in creation of durable assets. The works should be so selected in
the shelf of project which fulfill this requirement. A
full proof monitoring and evaluation mechanism would also be prepared.
Source: DRDA Sirsa