The Centre has amended Schedule I of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA), 2005, fixing a minimum percentage of funds to be spent on water conservation and harvesting works in rural blocks based on their stage of groundwater extraction. In rural blocks categorised as ‘over-exploited’ and ‘critical’ by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), a minimum of 65 per cent of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) works in terms of cost shall be taken up for water conservation, water harvesting and other water-related works.
‘Over-exploited’ blocks are assessment units where groundwater extraction exceeds 100 per cent, meaning more groundwater is being drawn than is being replenished. ‘Critical’ blocks have extraction between 90-100 per cent. A minimum of 40 per cent NREGS expenditure has been fixed for water-related works in ‘semi-critical’ blocks, where extraction is between 70- 90 per cent. In ‘safe’ blocks, where extraction is equal to or less than 70 per cent, a minimum 30 per cent fund is earmarked for water-related works. The amendment adds a new proviso to Schedule I, stating: “the assessment units (Blocks) classified as ‘Overexploited’, ‘Critical’, ‘Semi-critical’ and ‘Safe’ in the available Dynamic Ground Water Resources Assessment Report, by the Central Ground Water Board (CGWB), shall be treated as priority areas for intervention, and the District Programme Coordinator or Programme Ocer shall ensure that a minimum percentage of the works to be taken up in the assessment units (Blocks) in terms of cost, shall be for water conservation, water harvesting and other water-related works as per following, namely:-(a) 65 per cent in ‘Over-exploited’ and ‘Critical’ rural blocks; (b) 40 percent in ‘Semi-critical’ rural blocks; and (c) 30 percent in ‘Safe’ rural blocks.”
As per CGWB’s 2024 report, 11.13 per cent blocks were ‘Over-exploited’, 3.05 per cent ‘Critical’, 10.54 per cent ‘Semi-critical’, and 73.39 per cent ‘Safe’.
