MGNREGA wagers paid more in Haryana than Punjab: MP Sanjeev Arora

In her reply, the Union minister stated that the notified wage rates of unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in fiscal year 2023-24 for Haryana is ₹357 and for Punjab is ₹303

The Centre has admitted that there is a difference of wage rates of unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) in Punjab and Haryana. The rate is higher in Haryana than Punjab.

Arora took up the matter in Parliament after chief minister Bhagwant Mann had already written a letter to Cente on the issue.

Rajya Sabha MP Sanjeev Arora had raised a question in this regard, to which Union minister of state for rural development Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti submitted a reply in the ongoing Monsoon session.

In her reply, the Union minister stated that the notified wage rates of unskilled workers under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in fiscal year 2023-24 for Haryana is ₹357 and for Punjab is ₹303.

Arora took up the matter in Parliament after chief minister Bhagwant Mann had already written a letter to Cente on the issue. He further asked about steps taken by the government to bridge the rate disparity. To this, the Union minister stated that as per Section 6 (1) of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005, the Centre may by notification specify the wage rate for unskilled work for its beneficiaries. Accordingly, the Ministry of rural development notifies MGNREGA wage rate for every fiscal year for states/UTs.

To compensate the workers against inflation, the Ministry of rural development revises the wage rate every year based on change in Consumer Price Index for Agricultural Labour (CPI-AL). The index is different for various states/UTs as notified by the Labour Bureau, Shimla.