Economics
Context: The Union government has made digitally capturing MGNREGA attendance universal from January 1, 2023 through (NMMS). From May 16, 2022, capturing attendance via the app was made compulsory for all worksites with 20 or more workers.
About NMMS:
- The National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App was launched by the Ministry of Rural Development in 2021.
- It aimed at bringing more transparency and ensuring proper monitoring of the schemes.
- Significance:
- The NMMS App permits taking real time attendance of workers at Mahatma Gandhi NREGA worksites along with geo-tagged photographs.
- The app helps in increasing citizen oversight of the programme.
- Issues:
- Poor internet connectivity, little access to smartphones and glitches in the app have created a problem in the daily activities of the workers.
- The workers are forced to buy a smartphone which is pushing them to leave the job.
- Many workers have complained that the process is very difficult, and they are illiterate.
Source: The Hindu
