MGNREGA_SAMEEKSHA

60 MGNREGA Sameeksha
reasons for denial. What is clear is that so long as the
states do not have mechanisms to accurately record
demand for work, such a discrepancy can always
arise. Recent steps (described in Chapter 7) attempt
to address precisely this lacuna.
Issue of Dated Receipts and Non-provision of
Work within 15 Days
Under the Act, every household that applies for work
is to be issued a dated receipt. This receipt becomes
the instrument for ensuring the household gets work
within 15 days from the date they desire work to be
provided. Thus, provision of timely work is vital to
ensuring social security to the poorest. However,
findings from the field suggest that this is not always
the case. The CAG audit found that dated receipts
of applications were not given in 282 GPs across
21 states. 26
A study across four districts of Kerala found that, of
the 620 total respondents seeking employment, only
57 per cent got dated receipts while around 71 per
cent got work within the prescribed period. Studies
from other states have similar findings suggesting
that dated receipts are often not issued. 27 In Odisha,
in a study of 162 JC holders and 96 non-JC holder
households across four districts, it was observed that
the average waiting time was 31 days for getting work
after application. 28 In Uttar Pradesh, 58 per cent of
400 sample beneficiaries across five districts were
provided work within 15 days. 29
Like, rationing, it is difficult to verify whether
a household has been issued a dated receipt since
application for work can also be made orally (as well
as in written form).
Unemployment Allowance
If an applicant for employment under the Scheme is
not provided employment within 15 days of receipt
of his application or from the date on which the
employment has been sought, he/she is entitled to
a daily unemployment allowance. The CAG Audit
found that unemployment allowance was not paid in
58 of the surveyed blocks across 17 states, including
Assam, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Odisha,
Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. 30
In a study in Kerala, it was found that out of 620
respondents, around 30 per cent did not get work
within the prescribed 15 days; however, only 4 per
cent of them got unemployment allowance. 31
One of the main reasons for non-provision of
dated receipts is the legal requirement for payment of
unemployment allowance as mandated by the Act, in
case employment is not provided by the state within 15
days. Further, the fact that unemployment allowance
is to be paid by State Governments appears to act as a
disincentive for them to provide dated receipts. Thus,
the situation is one where work provided is assumed
to be by definition identical to work demanded.
MIS monitors both delays in provision of employment
and payment of unemployment allowance.
Reminders in the form of alerts for each district are
provided online for speedy redressal and payment.
In MGNREGA 2.0, it is proposed that the delays in
provision of unemployment allowance or payment
will be tracked at each stage (on a responsibility
chart) on MIS (see Chapter 7).
Timely and Full Payment of Wages
Reports from the field suggest that wage
payments are often less than the notified
wage, primarily due to inaccurate Schedule
of Rates, 32 and delays in payment due to
inadequate staff and other institutional
26
CAG, Performance Audit Report No. 11, 2008.
27
Gandhigram University, ‘A Study on Performance of NREGS in Kerala’, Report submitted to the Ministry of Rural
Development/UNDP, 2009.
28
Indian Institute of Technology-Kharagpur (IIT-K), ‘Appraisal of Processes and Procedures of NREGS in Odisha: A
Study of Balasore and Mayurbhanj Districts’, Report submitted to Ministry of Rural Development/UNDP, Kharagpur: Indian
Institute of Technology, 2009.
29
Ibid.
30
CAG, Performance Audit Report No. 11, 2008.
31
Gandhigram University, ‘A Study of Peformance of NREGS in Kerala’.
32
The details of the productivity norms are listed in the Schedule of Rates (SoRs). The SoRs are calculated through Work Time
and Motion Studies. The SoRs, under the Act, have to be such that an average person working for 9 hours, with one hour of rest,
is able to earn the notified MGNREGA minimum wage.