On April 29, 2020 According to an official statement Chhattisgarh is 1st state to provide employment to over 18(18.51) lakh unskilled labourers, followed by Rajasthan (2nd) to 10.79 lakh workers & Uttar Pradesh(3rd) to around 9.06 lakh workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).
| Position secured | State Name | No of employment provided (in lakhs) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chhattisgarh | 18.51 |
| 2 | Rajasthan | 10.79 |
| 3 | Uttar Pradesh | 9.06 |
| 4 | West Bengal | 7.29 |
| 5 | Madhya Pradesh | 7.24 |
Key Points
i.As per the data released by the Union Rural Development Ministry around 77.85 lakh people are engaged in different work under the scheme across the country.
ii.West Bengal secured the 4th position with 7.29 lakh workers engaged followed by Madhya Pradesh at fifth with 7.24 lakh workers, Bihar at sixth with 6.71 lakh workers, Odisha at seventh position with 4.93 lakh workers and Karnataka at the eight position with 3.65 lakh labourers employed under the scheme.
Gist about Chhattisgarh’s achievement
- The national participation of the workers who work in the state is 24% which is the highest in the country.
- The performance of many big states in terms of employment of workers is not even half that of the state.
- Gram Panchayats of the state are providing relief to labourers through MGNREGS by following social distancing norms in the villages.
- In terms of maximum employment to MGNREGS workers at the state level, Rajnandgaon, Janjgir-Champa and Mahasamund districts of Chhattisgarh are at the top.
About MGNREGS
i.It is an Indian legislation enacted on August 25, 2005. It provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural household who willingly does unskilled manual work.
ii.It is also known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act ,2005 (MGNREGA).
iii.Aim- to improve the purchasing power of the rural people, to provide primarily semi or unskilled work to people living below the poverty line in rural places. It seeks to bridge the gap between the rich and the poor of the country. One-third of the designated workforce must be women.
iv.The scheme implementation in association with state governments is monitored by The Ministry of Rural Development(MRD),Union Minister – Narendra Singh Tomar (Morena, Madhya Pradesh)
