Content

1. MGNREGA: Building Rural Resilience
2. Wheels of Change: India’s Electric Leap for Green Mobility

MGNREGA: Building Rural Resilience

Basics of MGNREGA

• Full Name: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005.
• Nature: Rights-based, demand-driven wage employment programme.
• Guarantee: At least 100 days of unskilled manual work per rural household in a financial year.
• Coverage: All districts of India (except those with 100% urban population).
• Legal Basis: Act of Parliament, making employment a legal entitlement.
• Primary Goals:
  • Employment generation
  • Creation of durable rural assets
  • Strengthening rural livelihoods
  • Promoting social inclusion (SCs, STs, women, landless labourers)

Relevance : GS 2(Governance , Schemes)

Objectives

• Provide 100 days of unskilled manual work as per demand.
• Strengthen livelihood resource base of rural poor.
• Ensure social inclusion of marginalized groups.
• Empower Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in planning and implementation.
• Promote sustainable rural development (water conservation, afforestation, soil health, rural infrastructure).

Budgetary and Employment Data

• FY 2013–14: ₹33,000 crore allocation.
• FY 2025–26 (BE): ₹86,000 crore – highest since inception.
• Funds released (till July 2025): ₹45,783 crore (₹37,912 crore for wages).
• Employment Generation:
  • FY 2024–25: 290.60 crore person-days.
  • Households provided work: 15.99 crore.
• Women Participation:
  • 2013–14: 48%
  • 2024–25: 58.15% (440.7 lakh women)

Social Inclusion & Women Empowerment

• Consistent >50% participation of women for last 5 years.
• Scheme supports SCs, STs, women-headed households, landless labourers.
• Women’s higher participation indicates shift towards economic inclusion & empowerment in rural areas.

Technological & Governance Reforms

• Aadhaar Seeding & APBS:
  • 13.45 crore workers Aadhaar-seeded (2025).
  • 13.05 crore linked to Aadhaar Payment Bridge System (APBS).
• eFMS (e-Payments):
  • Wage payments through banks increased from 37% (2013–14) → 99.94% (2025).
• Geo-tagging:
  • 6.36 crore assets geo-tagged for transparency.
• Digital Platforms:
  • NMMS App: Real-time attendance with geotagged photos.
  • GeoMGNREGA: Asset tracking.
  • Yuktdhara Portal (with ISRO): Geospatial planning.
  • JALDOOT App: Groundwater monitoring.
  • JANMANREGA App: Citizen information & feedback.
  • SECURE software: Estimation of rural works cost.

Asset Creation and Sustainability

• Individual Assets: Grew from 17.6% (2013–14) → 57.05% (2025).
• Agri & Allied Activities: 44.14% of expenditure by 2025, strengthening agriculture.
• Mission AmritSarovar (2022): Target 50,000 water bodies → achieved 68,000+.
• 86.98 lakh assets created (by March 2025): water harvesting, irrigation canals, soil conservation, plantations, rural infrastructure.

Skill Development

• Project UNNATI (2019): Skilling of MGNREGA workers.
  • Target: 2 lakh workers.
  • Achieved: 90,894 workers trained by March 2025.
• Goal: Transition workers from partial employment to self/wage employment.

Transparency, Accountability & Monitoring

• Social Audit: Mandatory twice a year in Gram Panchayats.
• Fake Job Card Cancellation:
  • FY 2024–25: 58,826 deleted (fake, duplicate, migrated, or expired).
• On-time Fund Transfer Orders (FTOs): 97.81% by March 2025.
• Citizen Information Boards: Display works, costs, beneficiaries for community monitoring.

Convergence & Rural Development

• Convergence with 13 ministries:
  • Border Roads Organisation (BRO) – rural connectivity.
  • Women & Child Development – Anganwadi centres.
  • Panchayati Raj – GP buildings.
• Strengthens rural infrastructure while ensuring job creation.

Strengths

• Legal entitlement, not a welfare dole.
• Demand-driven nature prevents underemployment.
• Strong women’s participation – gender inclusive.
• Environmental focus – afforestation, water bodies, soil conservation.
• Technology-driven reforms – minimizes leakages, boosts accountability.
• PRIs empowerment – bottom-up planning through Gram Sabhas.

Challenges

• Delayed wage payments despite high digital integration in some states.
• Corruption and ghost job cards (though Aadhaar reduced it).
• Asset quality varies across states; sometimes non-durable.
• Under-utilization of skilled labour (scheme restricted to unskilled manual work, except under convergence projects).
• Urban poor excluded – rural-centric only.

Recent Developments (2025)

• Record allocation of ₹86,000 crore.
• Nearly 99.8% demand for work met in 2025–26 – strong responsiveness.
• 6.36 crore assets geo-tagged ensuring public monitoring.
• Convergence push: Anganwadi centres, GP buildings, border roads.
• Focus on agriculture-linked works (irrigation, soil health, water harvesting).

Way Forward

• Ensure timely wage disbursal across all states.
• Expand Project UNNATI for large-scale skilling & rural entrepreneurship.
• Stronger social audits to reduce leakages.
• Greater urban employment guarantee linkage for migrant workers (debated idea).
• Focus on asset quality & durability to ensure long-term rural development impact.
• Enhanced climate resilience projects: water recharge, agroforestry, renewable energy-based assets.

Conclusion

• MGNREGA has evolved into India’s largest social security and rural livelihood programme.
• It acts as a safety net, empowerment tool for women, and infrastructure builder for villages.
• With high allocations, strong tech integration, and convergence with rural development programmes, it is central to resilient, inclusive, and sustainable rural growth.

Wheels of Change: India’s Electric Leap for Green Mobility

Background and Context

• Transport sector share in emissions:
  • Globally contributes ~23% of CO₂ emissions.
  • In India, transport accounts for ~13.5% of total energy-related CO₂ emissions.
• Dependence on fossil fuels:
  • 85% of crude oil demand is imported → creates energy insecurity and trade imbalance.
• Urbanisation pressure:
  • Rising vehicle ownership (390 million registered vehicles in India, 2025) → worsens congestion, pollution, and oil demand.
• Solution pathway: Shift towards Electric Vehicles (EVs), supported by renewable power integration, aligns with India’s commitments under the Paris Agreement, COP26, and Net Zero 2070 goal.

Relevance : GS 3(Infrastructure , Environment)

India’s EV Journey – Timeline of Policy Push

• 2013: National Electric Mobility Mission Plan (NEMMP) launched.
• 2015–2019: FAME-I implemented → ₹895 crore sanctioned.
• 2019 onwards: FAME-II (₹11,500 crore) focusing on mass adoption, e-buses, and charging infra.
• 2021: PLI-Auto & ACC Battery Storage PLI announced.
• 2023: PM e-Bus Sewa launched (10,000 buses).
• 2024: PM E-Drive & SPMEPCI launched → targeted push for e-trucks and e-cars.
• 2025: India becomes Suzuki’s global EV hub with e-VITARA exports to 100+ countries.

Current Status (as of Feb 2025)

• EV stock: 56.75 lakh registered EVs (~1.5% of total vehicles).
• Sales growth:
  • E-2Ws (FY 2024-25): 11.49 lakh sales (+21% YoY).
  • Strong uptake of e-3Ws and e-buses in urban mobility.
• Charging infra: 8,885 public charging stations (PCS) installed, out of 9,332 sanctioned.
• Domestic battery ecosystem:
  • Localisation of >80% of hybrid battery electrodes.
  • 40 GWh battery capacity awarded under ACC-PLI (out of 50 GWh target).

Key Government Schemes Driving EV Transition

A. FAME (Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles)

• FAME-I (2015-19): Supported 2.55 lakh EVs, 425 e-buses, and ~520 charging stations.
• FAME-II (2019–2025):
  • ₹11,500 crore outlay.
  • Supported 16.29 lakh EVs till June 2025, including 14.35 lakh e-2Ws, 5,165 e-buses.
  • Charging infra: 9,332 sanctioned → 8,885 installed.

B. PLI Schemes

• PLI-Auto (₹25,938 crore): Attracted ₹29,576 crore investments; created ~45,000 jobs.
• PLI-ACC (₹18,100 crore): 40 GWh awarded capacity; minimum 25% localisation in 2 years, 60% by year 5.

C. PM E-Drive (2024–28)

• ₹10,900 crore scheme.
• Subsidies given for 24.79 lakh e-2Ws, 3.15 lakh e-3Ws, 14,028 e-buses, and 5,643 e-trucks.
• ₹2,000 crore for charging infra on highways and cities.

D. PM e-Bus Sewa (2023)

• ₹20,000 crore scheme → 10,000 buses under PPP.
• 7,293 buses approved in 14 states and 4 UTs.
• ₹1,062 crore sanctioned for depots and charging infra.

E. SPMEPCI (2024)

• To attract global automakers → allows import of e-cars at 15% duty (vs 70–100% normally).
• Mandatory 25% localisation in 3 years, 50% in 5 years.

Supporting Initiatives

• India Electric Mobility Index (IEMI, 2025) → first framework ranking states on EV adoption.
  • Delhi, Maharashtra, Chandigarh = “frontrunners”.
• EV testing infra: ₹780 crore allocated for quality and safety improvements.
• Oil companies’ role: IOCL, BPCL, HPCL sanctioned ₹800 crore for 7,432 charging stations.
• Export push: Suzuki’s e-VITARA BEV plant makes India global EV export hub.

Advantages of EV Transition

• Environmental: Lower GHG emissions, reduced PM2.5 & NOx levels.
• Economic: Cuts oil import bill, generates jobs in EV & battery manufacturing.
• Social: Cleaner air in cities, reduced health burden due to pollution.
• Strategic: Enhances energy security, aligns with “Aatmanirbhar Bharat”.

Challenges

• High upfront cost of EVs vs ICE vehicles.
• Charging infra gaps → only ~9,000 public chargers for 56+ lakh EVs.
• Battery supply chain dependence on lithium, cobalt, nickel (mostly imported).
• Grid integration → renewable share must rise for EVs to be truly green.
• Disposal & recycling of used batteries → environmental hazard if unchecked.

Future Targets & Vision

• EV penetration goal: 30% of total vehicles by 2030 (aligned with EV30@30 initiative).
• Emission reduction:
  • Cut carbon emissions by 1 billion tonnes by 2030.
  • Reduce carbon intensity by 45% (relative to 2005 levels).
  • Net-zero by 2070.
• Battery localisation: Target 50 GWh domestic manufacturing capacity.
• Urban mobility: Full electrification of public bus fleet in Tier-1 and Tier-2 cities by 2030.

Conclusion

• India’s EV transformation is no longer aspirational but structurally embedded in policy, industry, and public life.
• With rising adoption (56.7 lakh EVs), localisation of battery production, and export-oriented manufacturing (e-VITARA), India is set to be a global EV hub.
• The success hinges on:
  • Faster charging infra rollout.
  • Securing mineral supply chains.
  • Recycling ecosystem for batteries.
  • Convergence of EV adoption with renewable energy expansion.

India is not just riding the “EV wave” but driving it globally by blending climate responsibility, industrial growth, and technological innovation.