89% MGNREGA wages paid in time in FY18: Govt

The ministry of rural development on Wednesday said it had managed to make 89.08 per cent wage payments to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) workers within 15 days, as mandated under the law, in the current financial year so far.

“Timely payment of wages has been a major concern. In the current financial year, 20.88 crore person days of work has been generated so far, and 89.08 per cent of wage payments have been made within 15 days of work done,” the ministry said in a statement.

In 2016-17, 42.67 per cent of wages were paid in time, while in 2015-16, 36.92 per cent wages were timely paid. In 2014-15 and 2013-14, the figure was 26.85 per cent and 50.09 per, respectively. Under the Act, if wages are not paid within 15 days of closure of muster roll, it is counted under delayed payments.

The ministry’s statement said 22 states, including Puducherry, received wage payments directly through National Electronic Fund Management System.

The thrust of the ministry is on water conservation and states have adopted ‘Mission Water Conservation Guidelines’ to focus on 2,264 waterstressed and irrigation-deficient blocks of the country, it said.

The ministry said that in April it had released almost 49 per cent of the 2017-18 Budget allocation of ~48,000 crore for the flagship MGNREGA, a part of which would be used to clear pending dues totaling ~10,546.11 crore, while it would also help prioritise water conservation measures. The amount released included all pending liabilities as on March 31.

The liabilities were on account of pending wages, amounting to around ~4,926 crore, material expenditure amounting to ~5,430 crore and ~189 crore for administrative expenditure.

In the 2016-17 financial year, a considerable amount of the Centre’s MGNREGA budget was spent on clearing pending dues, of which ~6,700 crore was purely on account of pending wages.

The ministry of rural development said 22 states, including Puducherry, received wage payments directly through National Electronic Fund Management System