MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work, making it the world’s largest employment guarantee programme and a legal right rather than a discretionary scheme.
Section 3 creates the legal entitlement to employment, and if work is not provided within 15 days of demand, the applicant is entitled to an unemployment allowance under Section 7. Wages must be paid within 15 days of the work being done, failing which workers are entitled to compensation under the Payment of Wages Act.
At least one-third of the beneficiaries must be women under the Act’s provisions, and worksite facilities like drinking water, shade and first aid are mandatory. Gram Panchayats play a central role in planning and executing works, with social audits mandated to ensure transparency and prevent corruption.
The scheme prioritises works that create durable rural assets like water conservation structures, rural connectivity, and land development, aiming to build local infrastructure alongside providing employment security.