LBs should be submitted to the Government of India latest by December 31st each year for the subsequent financial year. State Secretaries in charge of Rural Development should ensure timely submission of LBs for all districts in their States, to avoid delay in fund release. For this, it is important that the States/districts follow timelines as prescribed in the Operational guidelines of MGNREGS.

LBs received online will be examined in the Ministry and issues, if any, will be communicated to the State for clarification/review. The States will respond to the issues raised so that the LB approval process is initiated.

An Empowered Committee, under the chairmanship of Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, will assess and approve the State-specific LBs in consultation with the State Secretaries in charge of Rural Development. The Empowered Committee will arrive at a decision on the persondays to be sanctioned based on expected employment generation.