Mahatma Gandhi National rural Employment Guarantee Act Scheme is perhaps one of the most popular schemes among villagers over the years. NREGA was started in 2005 to ensure at least 100 days of employment to rural people and later its name was changed to Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. At present MGNREGA is implemented in 715 districts all over India with 29.68 crore workers given 15.38 crore job cards. In Tamil Nadu as per ministry records, 1.32 crore workers are given 91 lakh job cards out of which 89.96 lakh workers are active.

Last year in April, Tamil Nadu government had issued orders to resume MGNREGA work related to irrigation and water conservation. The MGNREGA workers were asked to wear masks. TN government as per Union Home Ministry guidelines gave approval for construction projects in rural areas including irrigation, desilting of tanks and water channels, construction and maintenance of medical colleges, hospitals, roads , bridges, water supply, electricity transmission related works

In Tiruchirapalli district at present there are 3.7 lakh active workers with 3.06 lakh active job cards. MGNREGA works are a boon to rural people especially during Covid pandemic time which has affected livelihood of many. The workers are urging government to give more number of job days and increase their wages.

Smt M Ponni who works as supervisor of MGNREGA says that under the scheme 130 persons are given employment per day in MekkudiPanchayat under Manikandam Block of Tiruchirapalli. In a month 6 days of employment is given. Earthen bunds, sunken ponds are made under the scheme. She said that at present under her jurisdiction 44 persons work under MGNREGA in Senkurichi village, out of which 41 are women and 3 men workers.

Smt Ramya, a MGNREGA worker from Senkurichi village of MekkudiPanchayat  said that at present they are getting Rs 220 per day and wished the remuneration be increased  in view of  rising prices  of essential items.,

Smt Banumathy MGNREGA worker from MekkudiPanchayat suggested that  the number of clusters be increased so that more people will get jobs under MGNREGA scheme. At present there is only one cluster in one panchayat and out of registered 800 persons only 130 persons will get jobs. If there is at least one cluster per village then there will be better chance for villagers to get job.

MGNREGA has changed the lives of rural people, with most of them especially women engaged in work in their own neighbourhood. Most of the works are useful to the community including building ponds to conserve water and strengthening farm bunds to help farmers. MGNREGA works also include desilting works which will help irrigation in many places where farming is active.

(रिलीज़ आईडी: 1744452) आगंतुक पटल : 2053