States have been asked to immediately form monitoring groups to oversee the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, reported the Hindustan Times. The State Employment Guarantee Council, comprising state officials, ministers, and a public representative, will ensure that the scheme is implemented properly. The Centre decided to send the directive after the Supreme Court, while hearing a petition, asked the government to initiate the process at the earliest.
On May 13, the apex court said, “The government of India is directed to proactively request the state governments to establish the State Employment Guarantee Council under section 12 of the act within a period of 45 days from today. The effective implementation of the NREGA Act will certainly not be possible until these monitoring and reviewing authority faithfully and urgently established by the government of India and state governments.” Though the monitoring bodies are part of the NREGA Act, many states have not formed one.
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