EMN
Dimapur, February 2
Along with the rest of the country, the District Rural Development Agency (DRDA) of Dimapur district observed the 10th MGNREGA Day (MGNREGA Divas) Tuesday afternoon in the conference hall of the DRDA office in the town.
The function was attended by departmental officials, VDB association representatives, VBD secretaries and village council functionaries of the villages of six rural development blocks under DRDA Dimapur.
Delivering a keynote address, Alemla Chishi, Project Director cum DPC (MGNREGA) DRDA Dimapur said MGNREGA was passed with a vision and a need to provide and promote a secure, safe and improved standard of living to the vulnerable people living in rural India.
She told the gathering that “we all are part of this program and that we have a duty to carry out the instructions of this mandate for the development and betterment of our society”
Stressing on the transparency and accountability of the schemes, Alemla said transparency and accountability was not limited to just financial status but covers one’s individual performance in implementing works in respective areas. The success of project can only be summed up by the improved, sustainability and maintenance of the standard of living of the people.
She urged the gathering to join hands together and endeavor to ensure that Dimapur district will be a success story for the MGNREGA.
Delivering a short speech, Tohoshe Awomi, president of Nagaland VDB Association lauded the central government’s decision the continue MGNREGA that has transformed the lives of the villagers. He also highlighted the activities of the association that has given maximum exposure the VDB functionaries in the state.
Also delivering a short speech, Tokheli Kikon, chairperson of Naharbari Village Council, who is the first and only lady heading a village council in Nagaland hoped that MGNREGA would be continued even in the years to come. She thanked the officers in the district for rendering their utmost service in guiding the villagers for proper implementation of the schemes in villages.
The MGNREGA
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is a law whereby any adult who applies for employment in rural areas has to be given work on local public works within 15 days. If employment is not given, an unemployment allowance has to be paid.
National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (or, NREGA No 42) was later renamed as the “Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act” (or, MGNREGA), is an Indian labour law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the ‘right to work’. It aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
Starting from 200 districts on 2 February 2006, the NREGA covered all the districts of India from 1 April 2008. The statute is hailed by the government as “the largest and most ambitious social security and public works programme in the world”.In its World Development Report 2014, the World Bank termed it a “stellar example of rural development”.
The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of “enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work”. Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant’s residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.
