The Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India has developed draft guidelines expanding the scope of works under schedule 1 Para 1 (ix) of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme to include access to sanitation facilities. This has been prompted by demands from several States/quarters for ensuring sanitation facilities in rural areas with the main goal of ensuring a clean environment, thereby bringing about an improvement in the general quality of life and strengthening the livelihood base.

The objectives in including access to sanitation facilities are as follows -

• To strengthen the base of rural livelihood and create durable assets in rural areas/infrastructure at village level.
• Improvement in the general quality of life of the rural people.
• Accelerate sanitation coverage in rural areas to provide privacy and dignity to women.

The activities that can be undertaken include construction of (i) Individual Household Latrines (ii) School Toilet Units (iii) Anganwadi Toilets and (iv) Community Sanitary Complexes under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in convergence with Total Sanitation Campaign administrated by Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation. This will however, be subject to the following:

• Unskilled labour (up to 6 person days) and skilled labour (up to 2 person days under material component) on construction of Individual Household Latrine.
• Unskilled labour (up to 10 person days) and skilled labour (up to 3 person days, under material component) on construction of Anganwadi Toilet.
• Unskilled labour (up to 25 person days) and skilled labour (up to 8 person days, under material component) on construction of School Toilet Unit.
• Unskilled labour (up to 250 person days) and skilled labour (up to 85 person days, under material component) on construction of Community Sanitary Complex with minimum of ten seats.

The designs would adhere to instruction/guidelines issued by Ministry of Drinking Water & Sanitation. Local design variation depending on the geo-climatic conditions and the availability of construction material and skilled labour shall also follow instructions/guidelines of the Ministry. For the part to be covered under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the cost norms would be as per the State Schedule of Rates as applicable to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme works.

The non-negotiables in work execution are –

• Only Job Card holders to be employed for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme component,
• Muster Rolls to be maintained on worksite, with copies in Gram Panchayat and to be electronically maintained on nrega.nic.in,
• Social Audits to be done through Gram Sabhas,
• Wage payments will be through banks/ post office accounts,
• For the unskilled part in construction of individual household latrines, individual household beneficiary Job card holder shall work,
• No contractor and machine will be deployed for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme component,
• Benefits of this scheme would not be available to those households who have availed of the incentives in TSC earlier.

Comments on the guidelines can be communicated before August 15, 2011 on the e-mail - fanail@ias.nic.in or gnsharma123@yahoo.com

Comments can also be sent to the following address -  

Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Division,
Department of Rural Development,
Ministry of Rural Development,
Government of India

Download the guidelines below -