Centre revises MGNREGA wages ahead of Lok Sabha polls
What's the story
The Centre has announced a 3-10% increase in the wage rate for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers for fiscal year 2024-25.
The new wage rates will take effect on April 1.
The Ministry of Rural Development—which administers the MGNREGA scheme—issued the update after getting authorization from the Election Commission of India to notify the public of the new rates.
The model code of conduct directs authorities not to announce projects or schemes after elections are announced.
Twitter Post
Check out the full notification here
The Centre notifies the latest revision in MGNREGA wages pic.twitter.com/gcq2mrFWn7
— ANI (@ANI) March 28, 2024
Wage disparity
Significant wage increase in Goa
According to the notification, Goa witnessed the maximum hike of 10.56% over the current wage rate, taking the wage to Rs. 356 per day.
Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh also saw robust percentage increases at 10.29%, 10.29%, and 9.95%, respectively. This will take their daily wage to Rs. 300, Rs. 300, and Rs. 243.
In comparison, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand registered the lowest raise of 3.04% each from the existing Rs. 230 to Rs. 237 per day.
Wage hike
Over 10% wage increase in Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana
Overall, Haryana has the highest NREGS wage of Rs. 374 per day, while Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have the lowest at Rs. 234.
In Karnataka, workers will now get Rs. 349, up 10.44% from the previous rate of Rs. 316 per day.
Madhya Pradesh also saw a 10% surge, taking its existing daily wage from Rs. 221 to Rs. 243.
States that saw a less than 5% increase in wage rates include Haryana, Assam, Manipur, Rajasthan, Kerala, and Lakshadweep.
What is
What is MGNREGA
MGNREGA is one of the world's largest work guarantee programs. It was introduced in 2005 by the Ministry of Rural Development under the then ruling Congress government.
The scheme aims to provide 100 days of employment per year to adult members of rural households who are willing to perform unskilled manual work related to public works.
Currently, MGNREGA salaries are determined by changes in the CPI-AL (Consumer Price Index- Agriculture Labor), which measures inflation in rural regions.