Patna: The new wage rates for MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers in Bihar will be decided on Thursday. This decision will be made in a meeting between officials from the Central and Bihar Rural Development Departments in Delhi. The meeting will also set targets for various schemes including Human Rights Day initiatives, Prime Minister’s Housing Scheme, Prime Minister’s Rural Road Scheme, Livelihood, NRLM (National Rural Livelihood Mission), and MP’s Model Village Scheme.
Wage Details for MGNREGA Workers in Bihar
Currently, MGNREGA workers in Bihar receive Rs. 228 as wages. This marks an increase from Rs. 210 in the fiscal year 2022-23 and Rs. 198 in 2021-22. Bihar now surpasses only Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Tripura, and Nagaland in terms of MGNREGA wages, with an increase of only Rs. 40 over the past three years. Bihar receives lower wages compared to 24 other states.
Comparable Wages in Neighboring States like Jharkhand and Beyond
Both Jharkhand and Bihar offer the same wage rate of Rs. 228 for MGNREGA workers. Meanwhile, states like Tripura and Nagaland provide Rs. 226 and Rs. 224 respectively, with a marginal difference of only two to seven rupees. Bihar’s wage rate falls slightly below these states.
Wage Discrepancies with Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal
Currently, Uttar Pradesh offers Rs. 230 while West Bengal provides Rs. 237 as wages for MGNREGA workers. Bihar’s wage rate falls behind by two rupees in comparison to Uttar Pradesh and nine rupees in comparison to West Bengal. Assam and Odisha offer Rs. 238 and Rs. 237 respectively as wage rates.
Highest Wages in States like Haryana and Kerala
States like Haryana offer the highest wage rate at Rs. 357, followed by Kerala at Rs. 333. Other states with high wage rates include the Nicobar district at Rs. 328, Karnataka at Rs. 316, Goa at Rs. 322, and Andaman and Nicobar Islands district at Rs. 311. Several other states also offer higher wages compared to Bihar.
