Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005
(Originally enacted as the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act – NREGA; “Mahatma Gandhi” added in 2009.)
Core Provisions of the Act (2005)
• Legal right to employment (demand-driven).
• 100 days of unskilled manual work per rural household per year.
• Employment within 15 days, else unemployment allowance.
• Decentralised implementation via Gram Panchayats.
• Minimum wages, DBT payments, social audit mandatory.
• At least one-third women beneficiaries.
• Focus on durable rural assets (water, land, livelihoods).
Provisions Likely to Change Under Proposed Amendment
• Name change: MGNREGA → Pujya Bapu Gramin Rozgar Yojana.
• Workdays cap: Possible increase from 100 to 125 days.
• Targeting approach: Shift from universal demand-driven model to selective eligibility.
• Exclusion criteria based on State-level economic indices.
