1Department of Economics and Sociology, College of Basic Sciences and Humanities, Punjab Agricultural University, Ludhiana, 141004, Punjab, India
2Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Agricultural Sciences, GKVK, Bengaluru, 560065, Karnataka, India
Online published on 13 December, 2019.
This study assesses the impact of the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on rural women's consumption expenditure in districts of Punjab and Karnataka. It uses primary data collected in 2016–17 from a sample of 300 women workers selected from 12 villages. The results show that after the implementation, the annual food expenditure of rural women workers increased by Rs. 12, 648 in Punjab and by Rs. 16, 964 in Karnataka. The Gini coefficient shows that the MGNREGA helps in improving the income and consumption expenditure and reducing the inequality level in the study areas.