If this is not provided, the state is supposed to pay an unemployment allowance (of half the wage rate) to the beneficiary. At least a third of the beneficiaries of the scheme must be women. In practice, women have accounted for around half of total beneficiaries. Facilities - such as creches for children, drinking water and shade for rest - are supposed to be provided. The cost of projects, excluding wages for beneficiaries, cannot be more than 40 percent of total costs. Contractors and use of labour-displacing machinery are prohibited.