With the demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) continuing to be above the pre-pandemic level, the government has formed a panel to review the popular scheme with the intent to improve its efficacy in addressing poverty. The panel would examine expenditure trends across various states and identify reasons for variations in expenditure and would also redesign work opportunities available under this scheme, Nagendra Nath Sinha, secretary, ministry of rural development, told FE. “It will also recommend institutional mechanisms, including governance and administrative structures, for more effective utilisation of the funds,” he added.