Centre has hiked the MGNREGA wages which are linked to changes in the rural inflation rate measured by the Consumer Price Index (agriculture labor).
New Delhi: In a piece of good news, the Centre has decided to make a hike of 3-10 per cent in the wage rates for workers under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) for the financial year 2024-25 ahead of the Lok Sabha polls 2024. Notably, the new wage rates will come into effect on April 1.
Wage Hike For MGNREGA Workers: Check New Rates
The average MGNREGA wage nationwide for 2024–25 will be Rs 289, up from Rs 261 for 2023–24, which is an increase of Rs 28 per day. The increase in wage rate varies from 3 per cent for Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand to 10.56 per cent for Goa and 10.4 per cent for Karnataka. In the case of Andhra Pradesh, the increase is 10.29 per cent, Telangana (10.29 per cent) and Chattisgarh (9.95 per cent).
Currently, MGNREGA wages are linked to changes in the rural inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (agriculture labor). The Rural Development Ministry had recently obtained the Election Commission’s permission to notify the revised wage rates as the model code of conduct has come into force for the Lok Sabha elections.
Workers in Haryana will get the highest wage of Rs 374 per day after the hike. Also, the lowest has been fixed for Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland at Rs 234 per day. The Centre has allocated Rs 86,000 crore for MGNREGA in the Union budget for 2024–25.
West Bengal Forms Task Force to ensure Irregularity-free Implementation of MGNREGA Schemes
Amid controversies over irregularities in the implementation of the 100-day job scheme under MGNREGA, the West Bengal government on Wednesday announced the formation of an eight-member task force to oversee the disbursement of funds.
The task force will also ensure that the Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) formulated by the state government for the disbursement of dues to beneficiaries, are followed. Under the new SOPs, publication of details of beneficiaries and the display of these lists at prominent places in state government offices are mandatory.
Moreover, the task force has been formed in the backdrop of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement of completing the disbursement of funds under the 100-day job scheme to around 30 lakh beneficiaries between February 26 and March 1.
The eight-member task force to ensure Irregularity-free Implementation of MGNREGA Schemes will be headed by Secretary, Panchayat Affairs and Rural Development Department, Dr P Ulaganathan. Government sources said that the task force will oversee the disbursements to ensure that the funds go to genuine beneficiaries.
(With inputs from agencies)