Among the following, who are eligible to benefit from the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act”?

The answer is D. Under the MGNREGA, 2005, the guarantee is a legal right of any rural household. Every adult member who volunteers for unskilled manual work can demand employment, after registering with the Gram Panchayat and getting a job card. Eligibility does not depend on caste, income or BPL status, which is why it is a demand-driven, universal right rather than a targeted poverty programme.

Why the others are wrong:

• A restricts the scheme to SC and ST households. SC and ST households can benefit, but they are not the only eligible group.
• B makes BPL status a condition. Non-poor rural households are also eligible.
• C uses 'backward communities' as a criterion. The Act is caste-neutral in eligibility.

Core concept: a rights-based, demand-driven guarantee of up to 100 days of wage employment per household per year. Mains angle: GS-II and GS-III on rural distress, universal versus targeted welfare, and the debate on asset creation and leakages.

The legal framework of this scheme has been revised after 2011, so verify the current name and provisions before using them in an answer.

Trap: Aspirants read 'rural employment guarantee' as a poverty scheme and pick B. The guarantee is open to any rural household that demands work.