MGNREGA — Amendments

Amendment	Year	Description	Impact
N/A (Renaming)	2009	The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was renamed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).	Symbolically reinforced the scheme's national importance and connection to Mahatma Gandhi's ideals of rural self-reliance. No fundamental change to the Act's provisions but enhanced its public perception and political salience.
N/A (Policy Change)	2014 onwards	Increased focus on Natural Resource Management (NRM) works and individual beneficiary works, shifting away from general infrastructure projects. Introduction of GeoMGNREGA for geo-tagging assets.	Improved environmental sustainability, enhanced climate resilience, and greater direct benefit to marginalized farmers. GeoMGNREGA significantly boosted transparency and monitoring, reducing corruption and improving asset quality.
N/A (Policy Change)	2016 onwards	Mandatory use of Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) for wage payments, with exceptions only in specific remote areas.	Significantly reduced leakage, corruption, and delays in wage payments by eliminating intermediaries. Promoted financial inclusion among rural populations by necessitating bank/post office accounts.