Sorry, you need to enable JavaScript to visit this website.
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs Sustainable Development

Natural Rural Employment Guarantee Act

    Description
    Description
    India's Natural Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) launched in 2006, is a Guaranteed Wage Employment program implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development. In its first two-and-a-half years, NREGA generated more than 3.5 billion days of work reaching on average 30 million families per year.

    Source: World Resources Institute (2011) A Compilation of Green Economy Policies, Programs, and Initiatives from Around the World. The Green Economy in Practice: Interactive Workshop 1, February 11th, 2011



    Natural Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) promotes wage employment and natural resource management in over 615 rural districts. The Act aims to enhance livelihood security of households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. Its auxiliary objective is strengthening natural resource management through works that address causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation and soil erosion and so encourage sustainable development.





    In its first two-and-a-half years, NREGA generated more than 3.5 billion days of work reaching on average 30 million families per year. Women represent roughly half the employed workforce. NREGA has contributed to boosting the average wage of agricultural laborers by more than 25%. It improved ecosystem health through financing of rural works that address causes of drought, deforestation, and soil erosion. Crop and livestock production are also improved.



    Goal 8

    Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

    Goal 8

    8.1

    Sustain per capita economic growth in accordance with national circumstances and, in particular, at least 7 per cent gross domestic product growth per annum in the least developed countries
    8.1.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per capita

    8.2

    Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation, including through a focus on high-value added and labour-intensive sectors

    8.2.1

    Annual growth rate of real GDP per employed person

    8.3

    Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services

    8.3.1

    Proportion of informal employment in total employment, by sector and sex

    8.4

    Improve progressively, through 2030, global resource efficiency in consumption and production and endeavour to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, in accordance with the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production, with developed countries taking the lead

    8.4.1

    Material footprint, material footprint per capita, and material footprint per GDP

    8.4.2

    Domestic material consumption, domestic material consumption per capita, and domestic material consumption per GDP

    8.5

    By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people and persons with disabilities, and equal pay for work of equal value
    8.5.1

    Average hourly earnings of female and male employees, by occupation, age and persons with disabilities

    8.5.2

    Unemployment rate, by sex, age and persons with disabilities

    8.6

    By 2020, substantially reduce the proportion of youth not in employment, education or training
    8.6.1

    Proportion of youth (aged 15-24 years) not in education, employment or training

    8.7

    Take immediate and effective measures to eradicate forced labour, end modern slavery and human trafficking and secure the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including recruitment and use of child soldiers, and by 2025 end child labour in all its forms

    8.7.1

    Proportion and number of children aged 5‑17 years engaged in child labour, by sex and age

    8.8

    Protect labour rights and promote safe and secure working environments for all workers, including migrant workers, in particular women migrants, and those in precarious employment

    8.8.1

    Fatal and non-fatal occupational injuries per 100,000 workers, by sex and migrant status

    8.8.2

    Level of national compliance with labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) based on International Labour Organization (ILO) textual sources and national legislation, by sex and migrant status

    8.9

    By 2030, devise and implement policies to promote sustainable tourism that creates jobs and promotes local culture and products

    8.9.1

    Tourism direct GDP as a proportion of total GDP and in growth rate

    8.10

    Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

    8.10.1

    (a) Number of commercial bank branches per 100,000 adults and (b) number of automated teller machines (ATMs) per 100,000 adults

    8.10.2

    Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider

    8.a

    Increase Aid for Trade support for developing countries, in particular least developed countries, including through the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-Related Technical Assistance to Least Developed Countries
    8.a.1

    Aid for Trade commitments and disbursements

    8.b

    By 2020, develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the Global Jobs Pact of the International Labour Organization

    8.b.1

    Existence of a developed and operationalized national strategy for youth employment, as a distinct strategy or as part of a national employment strategy

    N/A
    N/A
    No progress reports have been submitted. Please sign in and click here to submit one.
    False
    Action Network
    Green economy policies, practices and initiatives
    This initiative does not yet fulfil the SMART criteria.
    Share
    FacebookTwitterLinkedIn
    Timeline
    01 January 1970 (start date)
    01 January 2006 (date of completion)
    Entity
    N/A
    SDGs
    Geographical coverage
    India
    Countries
    N/A
    Contact Information