DAILY CURRENT AFFAIRS QUIZ – 16 December, 2025

Explanation:
The changes attempt to reconcile welfare commitments with fiscal discipline. Demand-driven schemes impose open-ended fiscal liabilities. By altering operational rules, the government seeks expenditure predictability. However, this raises concerns about weakening rights-based welfare. The challenge lies in maintaining social protection while ensuring budgetary control. Thus, the core governance implication is rebalancing welfare rights with fiscal prudence.

Explanation:
The Centre asking States to bear a greater financial burden reflects fiscal decentralisation. However, administrative control and policy direction remain centralised. This creates an accountability shift where States pay but have limited autonomy. Such arrangements can strain State finances. It also complicates responsibility for outcomes. Hence, the trend reflects decentralisation of costs with shared accountability.

Explanation:
Gram Sabhas form the foundation of decentralised implementation under MGNREGA. They are responsible for identifying permissible works based on local needs. Gram Sabhas also approve labour budgets and monitor execution. This ensures community participation and transparency. Their role strengthens democratic decentralisation. It reduces top-down planning. Hence, Gram Sabhas are central to grassroots implementation.

Explanation:
MGNREGA is backed by a statutory guarantee of employment. Changes that allow pausing work or shifting financial responsibility to States may undermine this guarantee. Critics argue that such measures weaken the enforceability of the Act. The right to demand work could become conditional rather than automatic. This may reduce protection for rural households during distress. Hence, the primary concern is dilution of statutory guarantees.

Explanation:
In a demand-driven welfare scheme, citizens have a legal right to claim benefits. A supply-driven model, however, depends on administrative planning and discretion. When authorities decide when and where work will be provided, citizen demand loses primacy. This weakens enforceability and accountability. Such a shift reduces the rights-based character of welfare programmes. It also limits legal remedies for beneficiaries. Hence, administrative discretion signifies supply-driven welfare.