Parl Panel urges govt to review use of NMMS app for attendance, issues

A parliamentary committee on Thursday urged the government to review the use of the National Mobile Monitoring System (NMMS) app for recording attendance in MGNREGA in light of the "difficulties" being faced by workers.

It asked the government to come out with an acceptable provision at the earliest after ascertaining the issues.

In a report tabled in Lok Sabha on Thursday, the Parliamentary Committee on Rural Development noted the introduction of the NMMS app is aimed at capturing two time-stamped and geotagged photographs of the MGNREGA workers in a day.

The Committee said it was understood that through the introduction of a new attendance system, the Department of Rural Development wanted to usher in increased transparency.

However, they found that the actual success of this app depended upon various extraneous variables like the availability of smartphones, proper internet connectivity and the mandatory presence of MGNREGA workers at both the specified times to name a few.

"Taking note of these areas of concern, the Committee had urged upon the DoRD to review the implementation of attendance app holistically and after ascertaining the issues being faced by the workers, come out with an acceptable provision at the earliest," the Committee said in its report.

Noting that there is an exemption provision for taking attendance without using the NMMS app in cases of internet connectivity or device malfunction-related issues, the Committee expressed apprehension regarding the actual enforcement of this provision at the ground level in view of the "contradictory" information shared with the Committee by various stakeholders.

"Despite the submissions of the DoRD regarding the effectiveness of this app, the Committee are concerned to note the complaints from various quarters highlighting numerous difficulties being faced by MGNREGA workers in making their attendance on this app.

"So, in the fitness of things, the Committee reiterate the recommendation and implore upon the DoRD to have a holistic review of the ground reality regarding the effectiveness of NMMS and also ensure that the exemption provision is being complied with in letter and spirit' so that no genuine beneficiary is left behind," they said.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, better known as MGNREGA or NREGA, is a flagship scheme aimed at enhancing the livelihood security of rural households by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed employment.

The government has implemented a new provision for capturing real-time attendance at the worksite through the mobile App, with two time-stamped and geo-tagged photographs of the workers in a day.

The app is available in five languages - English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.

A protest was also held in Delhi's Jantar Mantar by MGNREGA workers under the banner of NREGA Sangharsh Samiti against the use of the app earlier this year. Several workers claimed they are facing difficulties in getting their attendance registered through the app.