Below you will find four versions of the draft National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, with related comments, translations, critiques, comparisons, etc. The four versions are:

(1) initial draft prepared by concerned citizens (“initial draft”);

(2) draft prepared by the National Advisory Council in August 2004 (“NAC draft”);

(3) the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill, as it was tabled in Parliament on December 21, 2004;

(4) the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill (NREGB 2005), as it was passed in Parliament on August 23, 2005.

NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE ACT: INITIAL DRAFT

This is a draft EGA for rural areas, prepared by concerned citizens on the basis of extensive consultations. For the latest version (dated 1 September 2004), click here. For a Hindi translation, click here.

For a two-page summary of this draft, particularly convenient for the purpose of holding public discussions, click here. For a Hindi translation, click here.

An earlier version of this draft was circulated on 16 July 2004, with an appeal endorsed by leading members of nearly 100 organisations committed to the right to work. To see the Hindi draft click here. To see the appeal and endorsements, click here.

For a summary of the main comments received so far on this draft Act, click here. For a Hindi translation, click here. (Note: These summaries will be updated from time to time, as far as possible.)

Further comments are welcome, just send a line to rozgar@gmail.com. For the full text of earlier comments sent to this e-mail address, click here.

DRAFT PREPARED BY THE NATIONAL ADVISORY COUNCIL

This draft was sent to the Prime Minister's Office in August 2004 with the recommendation of the National Advisory Council (NAC). Unlike the preceding draft, it includes an initial limit of "100 days per household" on guaranteed employment, in line with the Common Minimum Programme. For further discussion of the difference between the NAC draft and the initial draft circulated on 16 July, see the following explanatory note.

For a Hindi translation of the NAC draft, click here.

The NAC draft was referred to the Ministy of Rural Development for further revision.

NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE BILL 2004

This is the full text of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill 2004, tabled in Parliament on 21 December 2004. (Click here for the Hindi version of the Bill.)

For a detailed comparison of this Bill with the NAC draft, click here. For critiques of the NREGB 2004, click here.

[Draft National Acts] [State Acts] [Campaign Materials] [Articles and Reports] [Convention on EGA (19 Sept 04)] [Petition for PM]