Special Monitoring of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme by NLMs 2025-26 - Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India.

The overall goal of the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India (GoI) is ‘to achieve socio-economic transformation in rural areas’ by focusing on poverty eradication, increasing livelihood opportunities, and developing essential infrastructure. The purpose of the National Level Monitoring (NLM) system is to strengthen all the rural development programmes and ensure the effectiveness, transparency, and progress of implementation. STEM has been associated as an Institutional – National Level Monitors with the MoRD, since 2017. The NLM visits fall in to two categories: a) Regular rounds (mostly one in six months); b) Special Rounds (occasional).

This is a special round with focus on MGNREGA, a flagship programme of MoRD, GoI. ‘The main objective of this special round is ‘to observe and monitor the progress made during 2025-26’. It covered four GPs from two blocks of Khozikode district in Kerala state. The physical and financial progress of MGNREGS during 2024-25, processes like job cards, common complaints, Ombudsman, participatory planning, payment of wages, were examined.

Worksite inspections; review of maintenance of the mandatory seven records and conduct of ‘Social Audit’ have been reviewed. Interviews of job card holders provide the key data. Entry and exit meetings with the district officials briefed them about the special round and findings.