Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA)

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is India’s landmark rights-based social security and employment legislation. Enacted by the Parliament of India in 2005 (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005) and brought into force on 2 February 2006 (subsequently renamed MGNREGA in October 2009), the Act confers a statutory legal right to wage employment. Under Section 3 of the Act, every rural household whose adult members (aged 18 years and above) volunteer to do unskilled manual work is entitled to receive at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment per financial year. MGNREGA is strictly demand-driven: any registered household holding an MGNREGA Job Card can submit a formal written demand for work (Form 6) to the Gram Panchayat, and employment must be provided within 15 days within a 5-kilometre radius of the village (or with an additional 10% travel wage allowance if beyond 5 km). If the local administration fails to provide employment within 15 days of application, the applicant is statutorily entitled to a daily Unemployment Allowance paid from State funds (not less than 25% of the wage rate for the first 30 days and not less than 50% thereafter). Wages are notified annually under Section 6(1) of the Act and transferred directly into the worker’s Aadhaar-seeded bank or post office account via the National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS) / Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) within 15 days of muster roll closure. The Act mandates at least one-third (33.3%) participation of women, equal wages for men and women, worksite amenities (drinking water, shade, first-aid, crèche), and bi-annual mandatory Social Audits by the Gram Sabha to ensure absolute transparency. In West Bengal, while the state government separately operates "Mahatma-Shree / Karmashree", MGNREGA stands as the national constitutional framework for rural livelihood rights.