In a first, Centre may allow machines for NREGS work

NEWDELHI: The Union government may allow the use of machines in work done under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) — a move that would mark the first relaxation of rules in the flagship job creation programme . According to two senior officials familiar with the matter, a proposal in this regard by three states — Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka — is under “active consideration”.

The officials, who asked not to be named, added that even if machines were allowed for selective use in certain work under the scheme, which guarantees 100 days of unskilled manual work a year to at least one member of every rural household, the wages of the workers would not be affected.

The MGNREGS, enacted in 2005 during the first Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, has not allowed work done by machines on the grounds that it substitute manual labour, thereby defeating the essence of the scheme, which aims to provide alternative and guaranteed employment opportunities to people.

But, as HT reported on October 30, Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka have written to the Centre seeking relaxation of rules because large parts of these states have rocky terrain, making manual work difficult. “We have received the proposals. We are actively considering proposals to allow machines in a very limited way in MGNREGS,” a senior rural development ministry official told HT on Wednesday.

Another government official said that the machines would not eat into the wages of beneficiaries.