THE GIST of Editorial for UPSC Exams : 23 May 2020 (A moment to revive MNREGA (Indian Express))

A moment to revive MNREGA (Indian Express)

Mains Paper 3: Economy
Prelims level: MGNREGA
Mains level: Steps can take to revive the MGNREGA sector

Context:

• The lockdown has resulted in a massive loss of livelihoods, and the 400-million strong unorganised workforce is the worst hit. A significant part of this workforce has migrated to cities from rural areas.
• With the allocation of an additional Rs 40,000 crore as part of the stimulus package, the Union government has finally acknowledged the importance of MGNREGA.
• The most important part of MGNREGA’s design is its legally-backed guarantee for any rural adult to get work within 15 days of demanding it.
• This demand-based trigger enables the self-selection of workers and gives them an assurance of at least 100 days of wage employment.

Putting it in Context:

• Since 2012, an average of 18 per cent of the annual budgetary allocation(assign) for MGNREGA has been spent on clearing pending liabilities(debts) from the previous years.
• Even this financial year began with pending wage and material liabilities of Rs 16,045 crore.
• An allocation of Rs 1 lakh crore for FY 2020-21 would mean that approximately Rs 84,000 crore is available for employment generation this year. This will still be the highest allocation for MGNREGA in any year since the passage of the law.
• However, the allocation, which amounts to 0.47 per cent of the GDP continues to be much lower than the World Bank recommendations of 1.7 per cent for the optimal functioning of the program.
• Given the scale and depth of the current crisis, this additional allocation too will be under stress, as both the number of people demanding work and the number of days of work they demand will go up dramatically.

Steps government should take:

• The state governments must ensure that public works are opened in every village. Workers turning up at the worksite should be provided work immediately, without imposing on them the requirement of demanding work in advance.
• Local bodies must proactively reach out to returned and quarantined migrant workers and help those in need to get job cards.
• At the worksite, adequate facilities

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Existential crisis:

• Over the last few years, MGNREGA had begun to face an existential crisis, engineered(caused) by successive governments capping(restricting) its financial resources, and turning it into a supply-based program.
• Workers had begun to lose interest .....................................

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Conclusion:

• With nearly eight crore migrant workers returning to their villages, and with an additional allocation for the year, this could be a moment for the true revival of MGNREGA.
• A revival led by workers themselves.

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Prelims Questions:

Q1.  With reference to the “GOAL (Going Online As Leaders)” programme, consider the following statements:
1. It is an initiative of Ministry of Tribal Affairs (MoTA) in partnership with Google.
2. It aims to provide mentorship to tribal youth through digital mode.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

Answer: .......................................

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Mains Questions:
Q1.  What are the .................................................?