The number of individuals benefiting from the scheme in the first five months surpassed the total number of beneficiaries last year, latest government data showed.
The average days of employment per household stood at 34.42 as on September 11, 2020 compared to 48.23 for the whole of FY20.
When spread over five months, it translates into 6.88 days of work for MGNREGA beneficiary in a month. The average wage rate per day per person under the scheme is Rs 198.78, which translated into an average income of Rs 1368.4 per month.
The average wage rate per day per person under the scheme stood at Rs 182.49 in 2019-20.
Data shows 7.46 crore individuals worked under the scheme in over five months of the current fiscal, compared to 7.09 crore that benefited from the scheme in the whole of 2019-20.
The number of households that benefited from the scheme was also higher in the first five months of the current fiscal at 5.21 crore compared to 4.94 crore in 2019-20.
“While the wages under the scheme have gone up, a significant hike in the number of beneficiaries has resulted in an increase in average days of employment under the scheme,” a government official said, reiterating that MGNREGA is a demand-driven scheme and funds will be made available as per the requirement.