Q. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program, MGNREGA was earlier known as National Rural Employment Scheme, NREGA.
It is an Indian Social Welfare Program that aimed at fulfilling the ‘Right to Work’ provisions made in the Constitution. MGNREGA was launched in 2006 under Rural Employment Sector by the Ministry of Rural Development. Main objective of the program is to give legal guarantee of wage employment to the adult members of rural households who are willing to do unskilled manual labour work subject to a maximum of 100 days per year for every household. Every rural household has the right to register under the scheme, job card is issued to the registered, Job Card holder can seek employment; State Government shall pay 25% of minimum wage for the first 30 days as compensatory daily unemployment allowance to the families and of wage for remaining period of the year. MGNREGA work was undertaken by various Gram Panchayats. You have been appointed as an Administrator Incharge of the District. You have been given the responsibility of monitoring MGNREGA work undertaken by various Gram Panchayats. You are also given the authority to give technical sanctions to all MGNREGA works.
In one of the Panchayats in your jurisdiction, you notice that your predecessor has mismanaged the Program in terms of :
(i) Money not disbursed to actual job-seekers.
(ii) Muster Rolls of the Labourers not properly maintained.
(iii) Mismatch between the work done and payments made.
(iv) Payments made to fictitious persons.
(v) Job Cards were given without looking into the need of person.
(vi) Mismanagement of funds and to the extent of siphoning of funds.
(vii) Approved works that never existed.
(a) What is your reaction to the above situation and how do you restore the proper functioning of MGNREGA Program in this regard?
(b) What actions would you initiate to solve the various issues listed above?
(c) How would you deal with the above situation?
UPSC Mains 2025 GS4 Paper
Model Answer:
This case reveals serious governance failure affecting vulnerable rural households’ constitutional right to work. As District Administrator, my response must balance firm corrective action with systemic reforms to restore MGNREGA’s integrity.
(a) Reaction and Restoration Strategy:
My immediate reaction is of grave concern, requiring calm, evidence-based intervention. The restoration approach involves:
• Immediate damage control – Freeze suspicious payments, secure all records (muster rolls, job cards), prevent evidence tampering
• Trust rebuilding – Personal Panchayat visit, emergency Gram Sabha, direct beneficiary interaction
• Two-pronged strategy- Corrective measures for existing fraud; preventive reforms for transparency
(b) & (c) Comprehensive Action Plan:
Phase 1: Immediate (72 hours)
• Form Special Task Force – SDM, Accounts Officer, Executive Engineer
• Halt all payments pending inquiry
• Initiate preliminary field verification
Phase 2: Investigation (1-2 months)
• Money disbursement issues – 100% payment audit, DBT verification, door-to-door surveys (identify ghost beneficiaries)
• Muster roll irregularities – Check forged signatures, conduct technical audit of work-payment mismatch
• Job card verification – Special Gram Sabha for public verification, cancel bogus cards
• Non-existent works – Physical verification, geo-tagging (expose ghost projects)
Phase 3: Systemic Reforms
• Technology integration – Mandatory NMMS attendance, e-muster rolls, Geo-MGNREGA for asset tracking
• Social audits – Quarterly reviews with mandatory Action Taken Reports
• Grievance mechanism – District helpline, WhatsApp complaints channel
• Capacity building – PRI training workshops on ethics and guidelines
Administrative Action:
• Panchayat officials – Suspension, FIR filing, recovery proceedings under Prevention of Corruption Act
• Predecessor – Comprehensive report to Divisional Commissioner recommending formal inquiry
• Community participation – Women SHGs as vigilance committees, youth volunteers for documentation
Conclusion:
Combining administrative firmness with technological innovation and community participation will transform MGNREGA from corrupted scheme to empowering reality.
