Impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme on Reducing Rural Poverty

The impact of MGNREGS on reducing rural poverty has been reviewed. It is reported that under MGNREGS in 2007–08, about 3.39 crore households were provided employment and 143.5 crore personday employment was generated in 330 districts. In 2008–09 (up to July), 253 crore households were provided employment and 85.3 crore persondays were generated. The scheme has enhanced wage earnings, leading to strengthening of the livelihood resource-base of the rural poor in India. The programme has depicted high work participation of marginalized groups like SC/ST (57%) and women (43%) in 2007–08. The paper has reported enhancement of agricultural productivity (through water harvesting, check dams, groundwater recharging, improving moisture content, check in soil erosion, micro-irrigation, etc.), stemming of distress migration, increased access to markets, supplementation of income and empowerment of women as a result of implementation of MGNREGS. The paper has reported some challenges/shortfalls in the implementation of MGNREGS; these include delay in distribution of jobcards, presence of contractors, delay in payments, improper accounting of labour days, etc.