AN INTRODUCTION ON TECHNICAL TRAINING MANUAL for MAHATMA GANDHI NREGS BY G.N. SHARMA, IRRIGATION & SOIL ENGINEERING EXPERT, MGNREGA DIVISION, MORD, GOI

THE CORE OBJECTIVES OF THE MGNREGA ARE: Providing one hundred days of unskilled manual work as a guaranteed employment in a financial year to every household in rural areas as per demand, resulting in creation of productive assets of prescribed quality and durability; Strengthening the livelihood resources base of the poor; Proactively ensuring social presence,and Strengthening Panchayat Raj institution.

PARA 4 IN SUB PARA (1), ADDED: To ensure that at least 60% of the works to be taken up in a district in terms of cost shall be for creation of productive asset directly linked to agriculture and allied activities through development of land, water and trees. 3

LIST OF WORKS, ALLOWED UNDER MGNREGA I. Category: A: PUBLIC WORKS RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT – (directly linked to agriculture through land, water and trees ) RAINFED AREA RELATED WORKS: (i) Water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve groundwater like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams with special focus on recharging ground water including drinking water sources; (ii) Watershed management works such as contour trenches, terracing, contour bunds, boulder checks, gabion structures and spring shed development resulting in a comprehensive treatment of a watershed; 4

Category: A: PUBLIC WORKS RELATING TO NATURAL RESOURCES MANAGEMENT – (directly linked to agriculture through land, water and trees ) (iii) Micro and minor irrigation works and creation, renovation and maintenance of irrigation canals and drains; (iv) Renovation of traditional water bodies including desilting of irrigation tanks and other water bodies; (v) Afforestation, tree plantation and horticulture in common and forest lands, road margins, canal bunds, tank foreshores and coastal belts duly providing right to usufruct to the households covered in Paragraph 5; and (vi) Land development works in common land. 5

Category B: COMMUNITY OR INDIVIDUAL ASSETS FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS (ONLY FOR HOUSEHOLDS IN PARAGRAPH 5) (Directly linked to agriculture through land, water and trees ): (i) Improving productivity of lands of households specified in Paragraph 5 through land development and by providing suitable infrastructure for irrigation including dug wells, farm ponds and other water harvesting structures; (ii) Improving livelihoods through horticulture, sericulture, plantation, and farm forestry; (iii) Development of fallow or waste lands of households defined in Paragraph 5 to bring it under cultivation; 6

II. Category B: COMMUNITY OR INDIVIDUAL ASSETS FOR VULNERABLE SECTIONS (ONLY FOR HOUSEHOLDS IN PARAGRAPH 5) (iv) Unskilled wage component in construction of houses sanctioned under the Indira Awas Yojana or such other State or Central Government Scheme; (Not directly linked to agriculture) (v) Creating infrastructure for promotion of livestock such as, poultry shelter, goat shelter, piggery shelter, cattle shelter and fodder troughs for cattle; (Directly linked to agriculture) (vi) Creating infrastructure for promotion of fisheries such as, fish drying yards, storage facilities, and promotion of fisheries in seasonal water bodies on public land; (Directly linked to agriculture) 7

III.Category C: COMMON INFRASTRUCTURE INCLUDING FOR NRLM COMPLIANT SELF HELP GROUPS (i)Works for promoting agricultural productivity by creating durable infrastructure required for bio-fertilizers and post- harvest facilities including pucca storage facilities for agricultural produce; (Directly linked to agriculture) (ii)Common work-sheds for livelihood activities of self-help groups (not directly linked to agriculture) IV. Category D: RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE: (i) Rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines, school toilet units, Anganwadi toilets either independently or in convergence with schemes of other Government Departments to achieve ‘open defecation free’ status. and solid and liquid waste management as per prescribed norms (not directly linked to agriculture) 8

IV. Category D: RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE (ii)Providing all-weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages and to connect identified rural production centers to the existing pucca road network; and construction of pucca internal roads or streets including side drains and culverts within a village; (not directly linked to agriculture) (iii) Construction of play fields; (not directly linked to agriculture) (iv) Works for improving disaster preparedness or restoration of roads or restoration of other essential public infrastructure including flood control and protection works, providing drainage in water logged areas, deepening and repairing of flood channels, chaur renovation, construction of storm water drains for coastal protection; 9

IV. Category D: RURAL INFRASTRUCTURE ( v)Construction of buildings for Gram Panchayats, women self-help groups’ federations, cyclone shelters, Anganwadi centres, village haats and crematoria at the village or block level. (not directly linked to agriculture) (vi) Construction of Food Grain Storage Structures for implementing the provisions of The National Food Security Act 2013 (20 of 2013) (Directly linked to agriculture) (vii) Production of building material required for construction works under the Act as a part of the estimate of such construction works. (not directly linked to agriculture) (viii) Maintenance of rural public assets created under the Act ; 10

WORKS NOT TO BE TAKEN UP: Works which are: non-tangible, not measurable, repetitive such as, removing grass, pebbles, agricultural operations.

IN PLANNING SHELF OF WORKS ENSURE : That: inter-departmental convergence till the last mile implementation level to improve the quality and productivity of assets. ongoing or incomplete works are completed first. It is in conformity with the processes specified under the Act.

MONEY SPENT ON INCOMPLETE WORKS REMAIN UNUTILISED TILL THE WORKS ARE COMPLETED : FACTORS EFFECTING IN COMPLETION PERIOD - type of work, -estimated cost of a work, - total person days required in completion of work, - person days available for execution of work during the period and - climatic conditions.

PROCEDURE TO WORK OUT PERIOD REQUIRED FOR COMPLETION: The unskilled person days required in completion = (estimated cost) x (% unskilled labour component) / (wage rate per day) Therefore, days for completion will be = (unskilled person days required in completion) / (average unskilled person days available per day) + 15 days for curing of pucca work + 7 days for preparing PCR

IN ISSUING TECHNICAL SANCTION ENSURE : That it is: Cost effective, labour intensive technologies and usage of local materials are used as far as possible; Having summary of the estimate, survey sheet, design, and a technical note indicating the expected outcomes. The Bill of quantities (used in the estimate) in common terminology for easy understanding of all stakeholders;

IN ISSUING TECHNICAL SANCTION ENSURE: That Individual assets are on land owned by: Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, nomadic tribes, de-notified tribes, other families below the poverty line, women-headed households, physically handicapped headed households, beneficiaries of land reforms, the beneficiaries under the Indira Awaas Yojana, beneficiaries under the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (2 of 2007), and after exhausting the above categories, on lands of the small or marginal farmers. subject to the condition that such households shall have a job card with at least one member willing to work on the project undertaken on their land or homestead.

IN EXECUTION ENSURE THAT: For all works in a year, implemented by the GP, the overall material component including the wages of the skilled and semi-skilled workers not to exceed 40% at the GP level & implemented by other than GP, at the District level. The works executed shall be executed without engaging any contractor & as far as practicable, by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines.

RECENT IMPOTANT CIRCULARS ON WORKS: at least 60% of the works to be taken up in a district in terms of cost shall be for creation of productive asset directly linked to agriculture and allied activities through development of land, water and trees. clarification & a suggestive list of such task and type of machines which can be used under MGNREGA. guidelines for production of building material. work proposed shall have a summary of the estimate, design and a technical note that indicate the expected outcomes from implementing the work. Many other circulars issued have been referred in chapters & list annexed in the manual.

CLARIFICATION ON USE OF MACHINES: As per Para 22 of Schedule-1, MGNREGA, “As far as practicable, works execution shall be performed by using manual labour and no labour displacing machines shall be used”. There may be activities which cannot be carried out by manual labour, where use of machine may become essential for the quality and durability of the works. A suggestive list of machines which can be used is depicted in next slide. However, in all such cases, the estimate of MGNREGA work should contain machine rate, as per the prevailing SOR of the line departments in the area. Such items should be specifically social audited.

SUGGESTIVE LIST OF MACHINES, CAN BE USED S. NO. WORK AS PER PARA 4.(1) OF SCHEDULE-1, MGNREGA NAME OF ACTIVITYMACHINE WHICH CAN BE USED 1. II. Category B: (i) Improving productivity of lands, dug wells The excavation/ deepening of dug well i) Pump set for dewatering, ii) Tractor mounted Compressor hammer for rocky strata iii)Lifting device/ chain pulley (motorised) 2. IV. Category D: (ii) Road connectivity i) Compaction of earthen embankment in 15 to 23 cm layers i) Power roller ii)Trailer mounted water browser ii) Compaction of moorum/ gravel in 15 to 20 cm layers at optimum moisture content i) Static smooth wheeled roller of ton weight ii) Trailer mounted water browser iii) Mixing of cement concrete iii) Mechanical mixer iv) Compaction of cement concrete iv) Mechanical vibrator

SUGGESTIVE LIST OF MACHINES, CAN BE USED S. NO. WORK AS PER PARA 4.(1) OF SCHEDULE- 1, MGNREGA NAME OF ACTIVITYMACHINE WHICH CAN BE USED 3. IV. Category D: (v) Construction of buildings Roof If going for RCC slab for roof i) Mechanical mixer and ii) Mechanical vibrator 4.IV. Category B: (vii) Production of building material For compressing, Compressed Earthen blocks (CSEB) Machine for CSEB, like Auram Press, Cinvaram, Terstara, Mardini etc.

THE STRATEGY: To create productive assets of prescribed quality and durability & to strengthen the livelihood resources, it is necessary that: engineers/ technical personnel are clear about the activities which are to be carried out under different type of works permitted under MGNREGA, and technical input required in selection of work site, surveying, designing, planning, layout, execution and maintenance of works etc. therefore, in this manual all these aspects have been covered.

ASPECTS COVERED IN THE MANUAL: i ) Activities to be carried out under different type of works permitted under MGNREGA for: Development of rain fed areas on watershed approach, Development of irrigated areas on command area approach, and Development of agriculture & rural infrastructure. ii) The basic technical input required in selection of work site, surveying, designing, planning, layout, execution and maintenance of works; iii) Quality Control & Maintenance of works; iv) Convergence of MGNREGS with other ongoing schemes for gap filling and value addition with convergence made easy formats; v) List of circulars on MGNREGA works issued by the Ministry and are effective have been annexed.

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