The Government of India is planning to bring convergence between the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and the Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchayee Yojana (PMKSY).
Key points
- According to the Desertification and Land Degradation Atlas published by the Environment Ministry in 2021, at least 30% of India’s total geographical area is under the category of “degraded land”.
- Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Delhi, Gujarat and Goa have more than 50% of land area undergoing desertification or degradation, while States with less than 10% land degradation are Kerala, Assam, Mizoram, Haryana, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Arunachal Pradesh.
- In a recent jointly signed advisory, between Rural Development Secretary and Department of Land Resources secretary, the Chief Secretaries of the States were urged to ensure that the two schemes work in tandem.
- Under the PMKSY, activities such as ridge area treatment, drainage line treatment, soil and moisture conservation, rainwater harvesting, nursery raising, afforestation, horticulture and pasture development are done.
- The Union government now wants the States to undertake these activities using MGNREGS funds, which go towards both material and wage components.
- In 2019, the government raised its target of restoration of degraded land from 21 million hectares to 26 million hectares by 2030 following a commitment made during the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (COP14).
- Though the Ministry has been making efforts to contribute towards meeting the international commitment, the constraints posed on economy by the pandemic restricted the target to 4.95 million hectares by 2025-26.
- Therefore, there is a compelling reason for the Ministry to explore alternative opportunities to fulfil the commitment.
About PMKSY
- PMKSY is an umbrella scheme, consisting, inter alia, of two major components being implemented by the Ministry of Jal Shakti, namely, Accelerated Irrigation Benefit Programme (AIBP), and Har Khet Ko Pani (HKKP).
About Mahatma Gandhi NREGS
- Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is a demand driven Scheme by the Ministry of Rural Development. As per the Scheme, a rural household is eligible for at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment against their demand for wage employment.
