ProMASS Knowledge Domain: Feb 2, 2016:
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA today completes ten years of implementation. In a release on Feb 1, Union Ministry of Rural Development said, the achievements of a decade are a cause of national pride and celebration.
AIR correspondent reports, the Flagship rural job guarantee scheme was announced by the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in February 2006. Since the start, the expenditure on the programme has amounted to over 3 lakh crore rupees . Out of this, 71 per cent has been spent on wage payments to workers. Over 1,980 crore person-days have been generated in the programme. The percentage of Scheduled Caste workers has consistently been about 20 percent and Scheduled Tribe workers has been about 17 per cent. Since the past year, 57 per cent of all workers are women, well above the statutory requirement of 33 per cent. More than 65 per cent of the works taken up under MGNREGA are linked to agriculture and allied activities.
Meanwhile, the Centre is holding MGNREGA SAMMELAN in the National Capital today to mark 10 years of MGNREGA. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley will be the Chief Guest in the Sammelan.