Housing schemes key for MGREGS

NEWDELHI: The Centre’s flagship housing scheme for the rural poor is likely to be key to the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS)’S success this year amid a surge in demand for jobs as millions of migrant workers left jobless by the Covid-19 lockdown in big cities have returned home.

Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana (Gramin), or PMAY (G), the housing scheme, employed 51% of MGNREGS job seekers last year, according to official data. There has been much focus on the PMAY (G) in view of the social distancing required to check Covid-19 spread. Hardly 3-4 workers are required to build a rural, concrete house for the poor in comparison to works like road constructions undertaken under MGREGS, which require hundreds of workers.

A Union rural development ministry note last month told states and Union territories that “maximum sanctions to beneficiaries [under PMAY (G)] be issued against the 2020-21 targets” and underlined the urgency of creating more jobs. The note added that “not exceeding 2-3 workers, excluding the beneficiary [of a house] may be engaged in house construction”.

The Centre plans to construct 6.15 million houses for the rural poor under the PMAY (G) this financial year. Madhya Pradesh has been allotted the highest quota of 1.06 million houses under the scheme followed by West Bengal’s 920,000 and Bihar 806,000’s.

Until Saturday, 116.5 million workers were active under the MGNREGS, according to the official data.

The Centre has set an initial target of creating 2800 million person-days of work—the highest ever—under the flagship scheme for 2020-21 amid rising unemployment due to the Covid-19 pandemic. It is 40 million higher than the previous year. The MGNREGS last year generated 2767.6 million person-days of work.

The Centre has allotted Rs 19,500 crore for the housing scheme and Rs 61,500 crore for the MGNREGS, which provides at least 100 days of employment annually to at least one member of every rural household.

Union rural development minister Narendra Singh Tomar said the government is aware that more people might need jobs under the MGNREGS as millions of migrant labourers have returned to their homes. “We have already approved Rs 33,300 crore under the MGNREGS for the states out of which Rs 20,752 crore has been released, liquidating all pending liabilities on wages and material. There is no pending bill on account of wages,” he said.

The Centre’s added emphasis on the rural housing scheme is also a reflection of its inability to complete its target last year.