MASTER CIRCULAR- A GUIDE FOR PROGRAMME …

1 1 MASTER circular - A GUIDE FOR PROGRAMME IMPLEMENTATION FY 2018-2019 MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT, 2005 Department of Rural Development Ministry of Rural Development 2 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Act and Schedule .. 7 2. Entitlements under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 7 3. Entitlement I - Right to a Job Card (JC) .. 8 Possession of Job Cards .. 8 Regular updation of entries in the JCs .. 8 Verification/ updation of Job Cards through campaigns .. 8 Cancellation of Job Cards .. 8 Fresh/ new Job Cards .. 9 Implementation of Indicative Framework for new Job Cards .. 9 Pro-active inclusion of SECC Vulnerable households .. 9 4. Entitlement II- Right to Demand and receive work within 15 days .. 10 Demand for work .. 10 Allocation of work.

2 10 Multiple mechanisms for demand for work .. 11 Dated Receipt .. 11 Rozgar Diwas .. 11 E-muster Roll .. 12 5. Entitlement III- Right to Unemployment Allowance .. 13 Responsibility of the State Government .. 13 Calculation and payment of Unemployment Allowance .. 13 Suggested procedure to State Governments for payment of Unemployment Allowance .. 14 Cessation of liability to pay Unemployment Allowance .. 14 Cessation of claim to Unemployment Allowance .. 14 Automatic Payment of Unemployment Allowance .. 14 Workers filing for unemployment allowance .. 14 6. Entitlement IV- Right to Plan and Prepare a Shelf of Projects .. 15 Preparation of Labour Budget and the Annual Convergent Planning for Identification of Projects Exercise .. 15 Focus on vulnerable households.

3 17 Gram Panchayats as custodian of shelf of works .. 18 Expected outcomes .. 18 Entry of Works into MIS and implementation of works as per decided priority .. 18 18 Suggested timelines for planning .. 19 7. Entitlement V- Right to obtain work within a radius of 5 km .. 20 4 Work Execution under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 20 Implementing Agencies .. 20 Wage Material Ratio .. 20 Use of Machines .. 21 Outcome Orientation of Works .. 22 Estimates/Design Preparation and Technical Vetting by Superior Authorities .. 22 Production of building materials .. 22 Procurement of Materials under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 22 Types of Works .. 23 Restructuring of list of permissible works .. 23 Non- permissible Works .. 26 Works Focusing on Agriculture and Allied Activities.

4 26 Natural Resource Management Works - Mission Water Conservation (MWC) .. 27 Works requiring special focus .. 30 Afforestation, Tree Plantation and Horticulture .. 31 Rural Infrastructure .. 34 Promotion of Aquaculture .. 37 Solid Waste Management (SWM) under MGNREGS .. 37 Continuous availability of works .. 38 Quality Control & Maintenance of Works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 39 Convergence with National Rural Livelihood Mission under the Cluster Facilitation Team Strategy .. 44 8. Entitlement VI- Right to worksite facilities .. 47 9. Entitlement VII and VIII- Right to notified wage rate and right to receive wages within 15 days .. 48 10. Entitlement IX: Right to time bound redress of grievances, right to conduct concurrent Social Audits and Social Audits of all Mahatma Gandhi NREGA expenditure.

5 52 Setting up of an Independent Social Audit Unit:.. 52 Concurrent Social Audits .. 56 Ombudsperson .. 56 Grievance Redressal .. 57 Vigilance .. 57 Mandatory Pro-Active 58 Minimum Principles of Transparency and Accountability .. 58 Record Keeping: .. 59 11. Information Education Communication (IEC) Activities .. 60 12. MIS (NREGASoft) .. 62 NREGASoft .. 62 5 e-Muster Roll .. 64 MIS Measurement Book .. 65 13. GeoMGNREGA GIS implementation under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 66 14. Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) and the Aadhaar Platform .. 70 DBT Strategy .. 71 Step by Step process of conversion of accounts into Aadhaar Based Payments (ABPS) 71 15. Financing Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 74 Release of Funds .. 74 First Tranche .. 74 Second tranche .. 75 Administrative Expenses.

6 76 Complaints and fund release .. 76 Standard Operating Procedure on Complaints .. 76 Establishing Complaint Cells in States .. 77 16. Skilling and Capacity Building under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA .. 78 Barefoot Technicians .. 78 17. Partnership with Civil Society Organizations .. 83 18. Awards .. 84 19. Research under MGNREGA .. 85 20. Key Functionaries and their Roles .. 86 Gram Panchayat Level .. 86 Technical Assistant .. 86 Block Level .. 87 District 88 6 7 1. Act and Schedule The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was notified in 2005. As per an amendment to the Act the words Mahatma Gandhi were prefixed to National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. The Act covers the entire country with the exception of districts that have hundred percent urban population.

7 States have notified their respective Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Schemes, as per the requirement of the Act. The Scheme formulated by the State Government, should provide for the minimum features specified in Schedule I. Persons employed under any State Scheme made under the Act shall be entitled to minimum facilities listed in Schedule II of the Act. These State Schemes have to be consistent with the amendments made, from time to time, to the Act and its Schedules. States are required to amend/ modify their Mahatma Gandhi NREG Schemes as per amendments made in the Schedule I & II from time to time. 2. Entitlements under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Mahatma Gandhi NREGA provides a number of legal entitlements to rural workers through a series of provisions in the law.

8 While the Act makes provision for a hundred days work per rural household in a year, it is the strong legal framework of rights and entitlements that come together to make the hundred days of work per year possible. It is therefore essential that the implementation of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is read, understood and implemented keeping the entitlements in view. The Annual MASTER circular for the FY 2018-19, like the earlier versions, is organised around the major entitlements of the workers and the mechanisms that enable the administration to implement the Act. The MASTER circular is a comprehensive document covering all aspects of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA implementation. However, Mahatma Gandhi NREGA, 2005 and the Schedule I and II as amended from time to time, should be referred to, as and when required.

9 8 3. Entitlement I - Right to a Job Card (JC) Every rural household is entitled to a Job Card which contains the names and photographs of all adult members in the household so that they can apply for, and receive work. The Job Card is a key document that records workers entitlements under MGNREGA. It contains the updated details of work applied for and received, wages paid etc. For this reason, it is extremely important that an updated Job Card is available with the household at all times. Entitlement to the Worker Para 1, Schedule II: The adult member of every household residing in any rural area and willing to do unskilled manual work may submit their names, age and the address of the household to the Gram Panchayat at the village level (hereafter in this Schedule referred to as the Gram Panchayat) in the jurisdiction of which they reside for registration of their household for issuance of a job card.

10 Para 2, Schedule II: It shall be the duty of the Gram Panchayat, after making such enquiry as it deems fit, to issue a job card within 15 days from the date of such application Possession of Job Cards All the Job cards (JC) must remain in the custody of concerned workers and possession of JC by any other person, including functionaries and PRIs shall be considered as a violation of the Act. If taken for updating, the JC must be returned immediately, afterwards. JC found in the possession of any Panchayat or Mahatma Gandhi NREGA functionary, without a valid reason, will be considered as an offence punishable under Section 25 of the Act. It is the role of the District PROGRAMME Coordinator and the State Government to ensure that the JC remains in the possession of the concerned JC holders only.