Question

Explain the objective of implementing the NREGA 2005.

Answer 1

The primary objective of implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) 2005 (later called MGNREGA) is to ensure livelihood security for rural households by treating work as a legal right.

The core objectives of this act include:

1. Guaranteed Wage Employment: It legally guarantees that every rural household with adult members volunteers for at least 100 days of unskilled manual work per fiscal year.
2. Enforcing the Right to Work: If the government fails to find employment within 15 days of applying, it is contractually and legally required to give the applicant a daily unemployment allowance.
3. Poverty Alleviation and Economic Stability: It tries to relieve poverty in rural areas by directing purchasing power directly to poor households, thereby preventing distress migration to crowded metropolises.
4. Creation of Durable Rural Assets: The projects are primarily designed to increase rural infrastructure and environmental resilience, with emphasis on water conservation, reforestation, and land development.
5. Social Empowerment: It requires that at least one-third of the projected positions be designated for women, which helps to close gender wage discrepancies in rural work.