Executive Summary:
This document addresses Lok Sabha Unstarred Question No. 2749 regarding the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). It discusses the demand for jobs under the scheme, efforts to incorporate agricultural activities, monitoring mechanisms, and the use of technology for transparency and accountability. The document provides data on persondays generated, employment offered to households, and NMMS attendance marking up to July 31, 2025.
Key Points / Main Content:
Demand for Jobs:
* There has been a decrease in persondays generated under MGNREGS from May to August between 2023-24 (142.87 crore) and 2024-25 (112.29 crore).
* The difference between work demanded and availed is attributed to better employment opportunities elsewhere, illness, or other factors.
* In FY 2021-22, 99.55% of eligible rural households were offered employment against demand.
* In FY 2025-26 (as of July 31, 2025), 99.79% of eligible rural households have been offered employment against demand.
Agricultural and Allied Activities:
* At least 60% of works taken up in a district by cost should be for creating productive assets directly linked to agriculture and allied activities.
* Out of 266 permissible works under MGNREGS, 166 are related to the agriculture allied sector, and 85 are related to water conservation.
* Construction of compost pits is a permissible activity.
* The Ministry reviews and updates the list of permissible activities based on requests and examination.
Monitoring and Awareness:
* The Central Government initiates Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) campaigns.
* Expands the scope and coverage of the demand registration system.
* Prepares plans in a participatory mode and approves them in the Gram Sabha.
* Organizes Rozgar Diwas.
* The Ministry closely monitors the demand for employment at the ground level.
Technology for Transparency and Accountability:
* States/UTs must capture attendance at worksites via the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App with geotagged photos (except for Individual Beneficiary Work).
* As of July 31, 2025, 95.95% attendance has been marked through NMMS.
* The Area Officer Monitoring App, launched in May 2021, facilitates online recording of findings with time-stamped and geocoordinate-tagged photographs.
Impact Analysis:
Rural Households:
* Impact: Access to wage employment under MGNREGS as a fall-back option, potential for increased livelihood security through agriculture-related works.
* Action Required: Register demand for work, participate in Gram Sabha meetings for planning.
State Governments/UTs:
* Impact: Responsible for implementing MGNREGS, ensuring 60% of works are agriculture-related, and using NMMS for attendance.
* Action Required: Ensure accurate recording of work demand, facilitate agriculture-related projects, implement NMMS for attendance monitoring, and utilize the Area Officer Monitoring App.
Ministry of Rural Development:
* Impact: Responsible for monitoring the scheme, reviewing permissible activities, and ensuring transparency.
* Action Required: Continue monitoring employment demand, review and update permissible activities, promote awareness of the scheme, and ensure effective use of NMMS and the Area Officer App.
District Programme Coordinators:
* Impact: Responsible for ensuring that at least 60% of the works are linked to agriculture and allied activities.
* Action Required: Plan and implement projects that prioritize agriculture and allied activities, in line with the 60% target.
Key Entities Referenced
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme: A demand-driven wage employment scheme that provides livelihood security to rural households.
MGNREGS: Short form for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
Dr. D Ravi Kumar: Member of Parliament who raised a question in Lok Sabha regarding MGNREGS.
Ministry of Rural Development: The Indian government ministry responsible for rural development programs, including MGNREGS.
NREGASoft: Software used for data management and reporting related to MGNREGS.
National Mobile Monitoring Software: A mobile application used for monitoring attendance and worksite activities under MGNREGS.
Area Officer App: Mobile application used by authorities to record findings and monitor the schemes of Department of Rural Development
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005: The legislation that established the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2749
ANSWERED ON 05/08/2025
DEMAND FOR JOBS UNDER MGNREGS
2749. Dr. D Ravi Kumar:
Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:
(a) the reasons behind the decline in demand for jobs under
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Scheme (MGNREGS) between May and August 2024 including
factors like unseasonal rains, return of migrant workers to
urban jobs and delays in wage payments;
(b) the steps taken by the Ministry to incorporate more
agricultural and allied activities such as compost pits, water
conservation and post-harvest management under MGNREGS
to boost rural employment;
(c) whether the Ministry monitors job demand under MGNREGS by
households and individuals;
(d) if so, details from April to June 2021-22 show that 6.28 crore
households demanded work, with 5.97 crore provided
employment; and
(e) whether the Ministry is using the National Mobile Monitoring
Software (NMMS) and Area Officer App for real-time monitoring
and accountability?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT
(SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)
(a): Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(Mahatma Gandhi NREGS) is a demand driven wage employment
Scheme. It provides livelihood security, i.e. fall back options for
livelihood for the rural households, when no better employment
opportunity is available. Persondays generated during the months of
May to August in the financial years 2023–24 and 2024–25 are given
below:
Page 1 of 3Persondays Generation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS (figure in
crore)
Month 2023-24 2024-25
May to August 142.87 112.29
(As per NREGASoft)
It may be noted that being a demand driven scheme, there can
be variation in job demand. While the work demanded closely
matches with the work offered, the difference between work availed
with the work demanded is on account of lack of utilisation of such
offering by workers owing to availability of better employment
opportunities elsewhere, illness or any other relevant factor.
(b): As per Schedule I of Mahatma Gandhi NREG Act 2025, Para
4(2) "Provided that the District Programme Coordinator shall ensure
that at least 60% of the works to be taken up in a district in terms
of cost shall be for creation of productive assets directly linked to
agriculture and allied activities through development of land, water
and trees." There are 266 works permissible under Mahatma Gandhi
NREGS. Out of which 166 works are related to agriculture & allied
sector. Further, there are 85 works related to water conservation. It
may be noted that construction of compost pits is already a
permissible activity under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. Ministry keeps
reviewing the list of permissible activities depending upon the
requests received from the State Governments or any other source.
After due examination, the new works are included in the
permissible activities list.
(c)& (d): The Central Government has initiated several measures
to generate awareness about the scheme. These include, (i) to
initiate appropriate Information Education and Communication
(IEC) campaigns including wall paintings for the wide dissemination
of the provisions of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, (ii) to expand scope and
coverage of demand registration system to ensure that demand for
work under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA does not go unregistered, (iii)
prepare plans in a participatory mode and approve them in the
Gram Sabha, (iv) Organization of ‘RozgarDiwas’.
Page 2 of 3Ministry of Rural Development closely monitors the demand for
employment at the ground level in order to ensure that there should
be no unmet demand. In the FY 2021-22, 99.55% of the eligible rural
households were offered employment against demand. Similarly,
during the current Financial Year (FY) 2025-26 (as on 31.07.2025),
99.79% of the eligible rural households have been offered
employment against demand.
(e): To ensure transparency and accountability in the
implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment
Guarantee Scheme (Mahatma Gandhi NREGS), the Ministry has
decided that States/UTs shall ensure capturing of attendance at the
worksite through National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) App
with two-time stamped, geo-tagged photographs of the workers in a
day for all the works (except Individual Beneficiary Work) through
NMMS w.e.f. 1st January, 2023.
The implementation of the NMMS application has significantly
improved the attendance management system and the overall
efficiency of the process. NMMS application also helps in timely
payment of wages as wage lists and FTOs can be generated on the
same day as on which the attendance has been captured, this
process took more time earlier in case of manual attendance
system.
During the current financial year 2025-26 (as on 31.07.2025),
95.95 % attendance has been marked through National Mobile
Monitoring System (NMMS) under the Scheme.
Area Officer Monitoring App was launched on May 2021, in a
bid to facilitate the authorities to record their findings online. It will
also help in recording time stamped and geo-coordinate tagged
photographs for all the schemes of Department of Rural
Development. It facilitates analysis of findings which in turn helps in
implementation of the schemes in a more effective manner.
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