Constitutional right to work eroded by new rural employment law

Prelims-testable facts

• 01The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was enacted in 2005 to provide a legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment per year to rural households.
• 02The MGNREGA operates on a 90:10 Centre-State cost share, with the Centre providing 90% of the funds and the State providing 10%.
• 03The MGNREGA provides a minimum wage guarantee, which is currently set at ₹202 per day in many states.
• 04The Right to Work is a Directive Principle of State Policy, as enshrined in Article 38 of the Indian Constitution.
• 05The Supreme Court has revived debate over whether the Right to Work should be recognized as a fundamental right, on par with Article 21.
• 06The new VB-GRAM G Act replaces the MGNREGA and shifts to a supply-driven model, capping employment by a fixed Union budget and providing it only in Centre-notified rural areas.

Trap alerts

• Most people think the Right to Work is a fundamental right, but actually it is a Directive Principle of State Policy.
• Most people think the MGNREGA provides employment to all rural households, but actually it provides a legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment per year.