Parliament Question: Employment to Women under MGNREGS

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 323 ANSWERED ON 22/07/2025 EMPLOYMENT TO WOMEN UNDER MGNREGS

323. SHRI ESWARASAMY K:

Will the Minister of RURAL DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state:

(a) whether rate of women employment under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme

(MGNREGS) has decreased over the years in rural areas;

(b) if so, the details thereof, if not, the reasons therefor;

(c) the number of women workers who were provided employment under MGNREGS during each of the last three years, State/UT- wise;

(d) whether Government proposes to provide non-transient/table jobs to women workers to increase their participation under MGNREGS and if so, the details thereof; and

(e) the details of measures taken by the Government in this regard? ANSWER MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF RURAL DEVELOPMENT (SHRI KAMLESH PASWAN)

(a)& (b): The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) has special provisions for women and it has been categorically mentioned in Schedule-II, Para 15 that while providing employment, priority shall be given to women in such a way that at least one-third of the beneficiaries shall be women who have registered and demanded for work under the Scheme.

The participation of women under the scheme has consistently been more than 50% in the last five financial years.The participation of women has increased steadily from 48% in FY 2013-14 to 58.1 % during the FY 2024-25.

Page 1 of 3(c): State/Union Territory (UT)-wise number of women workers who availed of employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years is given at Annexure.

(d)&(e): There is no such proposal. However, there are several provisions made under the scheme for the welfare of women workers and their empowerment.

It has been provided that a separate Schedule of Rates shall be finalized for women, the elderly, people with disabilities and people with debilitating ailments so as to improve their participation through productive work. For ensuring women participation, provision of creche facilities at worksites has been made in case the number of children below the age of five years accompanying the women working at any site is five or more.

Further, it has been provided that at least 50% of the worksite supervisors (mates) should be women, preferably from among the members of Self Help Groups (SHGs). ***** Page 2 of 3Annexure Annexure referred to in reply to part (c) of LokSabhaUnstarred Question No.323 dated 22.07.2025.

State/Union Territory (UT)-wise number of women workers who availed of employment under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS during the last three financial years. (Figure in lakh) Sl.

States/UTs 2024-25 2023-24 2022-23 No.

1 Andhra Pradesh 42.0 41.9 41.9 2 Arunachal Pradesh 1.5 1.3 1.3 3 Assam 14.2 17.0 17.0 4 Bihar 30.9 29.0 31.0 5 Chhattisgarh 23.7 23.4 24.7 6 Goa 0.0 0.0 0.0 7 Gujarat 6.3 7.3 7.9 8 Haryana 2.9 3.1 2.5 9 Himachal Pradesh 6.1 5.7 5.3 10 Jammu and Kashmir 3.8 3.5 3.3 11 Jharkhand 11.4 12.3 12.0 12 Karnataka 26.9 27.7 27.0 13 Kerala 12.8 13.9 14.7 14 Ladakh 0.2 0.2 0.2 15 Madhya Pradesh 26.4 28.6 33.0 16 Maharashtra 22.9 18.1 16.5 17 Manipur 3.2 2.7 2.0 18 Meghalaya 3.4 3.7 3.5 19 Mizoram 1.1 1.1 1.1 20 Nagaland 1.1 2.1 2.1 21 Odisha 16.5 24.2 24.6 22 Punjab 6.6 6.7 6.6 23 Rajasthan 50.0 55.0 55.1 24 Sikkim 0.4 0.4 0.4 25 Tamil Nadu 62.0 65.6 62.6 26 Telangana 24.9 23.6 26.0 27 Tripura 4.1 4.2 4.1 28 Uttar Pradesh 31.8 33.4 32.3 29 Uttarakhand 3.3 3.7 3.9 30 West Bengal 0.0 0.0 9.8 31 Andaman and Nicobar 0.0 0.0 0.0 32 Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu 0.1 0.0 0.0 33 Lakshadweep 0.0 0.0 0.0 34 Puducherry 0.4 0.5 0.4 Total 440.7 459.8 473.0 (As per NREGASoft) ***** Page 3 of 3