Consider the following statements in respect of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. I. Under the provisions of the Act, 100 days of employment in a year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work has become a fundamental right. II. Under the provisions of the Act, women are to get priority to the extent that one-half of persons who are given employment are women who have asked for work. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Both statements are incorrect. The Act does guarantee up to 100 days of wage employment to every rural household whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work, and it creates a statutory/legal right to demand work with entitlement to unemployment allowance if work is not provided—i.e., a rights-based statutory guarantee rather than a constitutional ‘fundamental right’ [2]. Statement I’s description as a ‘fundamental right’ is therefore wrong. Statement II is also wrong: MGNREGA mandates that at least one-third of the beneficiaries who have registered and requested work should be women, not one-half [3]. Hence neither statement I nor II is correct.

Sources

1. [1] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Envisioning a New Socio-Economic Order > Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) > p. 121
2. [2] https://www.indiacode.nic.in/bitstream/123456789/6930/1/the_mahatma_gandhi_national_rural_employment_guarantee_act%2C_2005.pdf
3. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > UPA Government: First Term > p. 761