Gram panchayats have been given the power to take up any work in their jurisdiction on the basis of the decision arrived at in gram sabhas under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, MGNREGA . The Centre has recently unveiled the expanded version of MNREGA.

Rural Development minister Jairam Ramesh, who tabled a copy of the new notification in Parliament, said the purpose was to give supremacy to gram panchayats to meet the exigencies of states and the livelihood needs of people in rural areas.

It will be upto the gram panchayats to decide which work to take up, irrespective of the prioritis of MGNREA schedule list.