scholarly journals Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) as Social Safety Net: Analysis of Public Works in Odisha, India

2016 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 337-360 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tushar Kanti Das
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Employment Guarantee

Abstract Social safety nets are transfers targeted to the poor or vulnerable. They facilitate access to health and education services to build human capital. To achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (earlier known as Millennium Development Goals), national and state governments as well as international organisations have focused on increasing the investments in social transfer programmes. Public works are the policy instruments for mitigating the negative effects of climatic and systematic risks on poor farmers and unskilled and semi-skilled workers. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is the largest social protection programme in the world that provides 100 days of unskilled wage employment to any household residing in rural areas whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. In the state of Odisha the MGNREGA scheme is widely implemented. However, the irregularities involved in the implementation of this social protection programme are of great concern. The present study focuses on the implementation of MGNREGA in three districts of western Odisha. The study has tried to identify the bottleneck in the success of MGNREGA scheme.

Implementation of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in Manipur (2015-16): An Assessment

2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 55
Author(s):  
Khundrakpam Romenkumar Singh
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Poverty Alleviation ◽  
Rural Households ◽  
The State ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
The People ◽  
Employment Guarantee ◽  
Employment Guarantee Scheme

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is demand driven , self targeting employment generating poverty alleviation scheme which was launched by the UPA government in 2005 with full of hope to eradicate the problems of poverty and unemployment in the rural areas of India by targeting to provide at least 100 days of employment at each rural households. It is the only employment-generating programme, that a beneficiary can claim legally. The scheme was introduced in Manipur in the year 2008 with lot of hope to minimise the problem of poverty and unemployment in the state but after the eight years of implementation, the programme failed to deliver the expectations the people had on it. In this paper, an assessment of the performance of MGNREGS in Manipur of the year 2015-16 has been made.

scholarly journals Implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) across the States of India: An Overview

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (02) ◽  
Author(s):  
Radhagobinda Basak
Keyword(s):  
State Government ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
The State ◽  
Employment Opportunities ◽  
Rural People ◽  
Manual Work ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Employment Guarantee ◽  
Employment Guarantee Scheme

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 was introduced in India to create employment opportunities for the rural people. As per the provisions of the said Act, the State Government shall, in rural areas in the state, provide to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work not less than one hundred days of such work in every financial year. The present study attempts to review the performance of the scheme implemented in different states of India. On the basis of some selected parameters, performance of the states, in implementing the Act, has been measured. Ranks have been assigned to the states according to their merit in implementing the scheme.

Empowering the marginalized: Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in India

Human Affairs ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nidhi Vij
Keyword(s):  
Development Process ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Collaborative Governance ◽  
Vulnerable Groups ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Participation Of Women ◽  
Governance Systems ◽  
The Right ◽  
Employment Guarantee

AbstractSocial protection programs have been an important part of development process and planning in India since its Independence. However, after sixty-five years, around one-fourth of its population lives in poverty. Despite a plethora of social protection programs, vulnerable groups among the poor have not been well targeted. However, the recent paradigm shift towards rights-based legislations may have hit the right chord with its self-targeting mechanism. The Right to Work, or the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) provided employment to almost 55 million households and spending nearly 8 billion US dollars in April 2010–March 2011. Participation of women and socially backward groups has been exceptionally high. This paper analyzes the policy provisions, implementation and monitoring mechanism of MGNEGA to argue that policy designs with legal enforceable mechanisms and collaborative governance systems can lead to empowerment of the marginalized sections.

scholarly journals Convergence of Assets under MGNREGS: Case from Amritsar District of Punjab

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 8
Author(s):  
Shankar Chatterjee
Keyword(s):  
Social Protection ◽  
Rural India ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Livelihood Security ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Right To Work ◽  
The Right ◽  
Employment Guarantee ◽  
Employment Guarantee Scheme

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a historic rural development Act aims to guarantee the 'right to work' through passing an Act in the Parliament. The Act while in implementation is known as Scheme so it is known as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). MGNREGA/MGNREGS is a powerful instrument for ensuring inclusive growth in rural India through its impact on social protection, livelihood security and democratic empowerment. In this note, a case where convergence of assets was initiated is presented from Dalam panchayat, Harshe Chinna block of Amritsar district. The study was carried out during first week of August 2017 by visiting the area.

MGNREGA in Kashmir: An Analysis of Labour Market Outcomes and Livelihood Security

2020 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 424-446
Author(s):  
Mushtaq Ahmad Malla
Keyword(s):  
Labour Market ◽  
Social Protection ◽  
Safety Net ◽  
Market Outcomes ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Economic Interests ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Poor Households ◽  
Labour Market Outcomes ◽  
Employment Guarantee

This article attempts to examine the coverage and labour market outcomes of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in Kashmir. It is based on a cross-sectional mixed-method study of 200 households, 40 bureaucrats and local political representatives conducted in Kupwara, one of the poorest districts of Jammu & Kashmir. The article argues that MGNREGA is poorly implemented and is not functioning as a guaranteed safety net for the poor households that suffer from job scarcity. Considerable benefits are directed towards the non-poor, while several poor and deserving households are excluded. This bias is a result of rationing in local distribution by middlemen in collusion with bureaucrats to further their political and economic interests. In addition, the administration’s orientation towards MGNREGA as a development policy instead of a social protection, supply shortage in the provision of MGNREGA work and administrative delays in project operationalisation are some of the key bottlenecks. The article contends that the policy has enormous scope and potential to achieve its anticipated objective of acting as livelihood protection for job scarce workers in rural Kashmir, if it is implemented as a social protection policy following its provisions in its true spirit.

scholarly journals Impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act on Rural Households: A Case Study in Davanagere District of Karnataka

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 20-30
Author(s):  
N Harish
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Positive Impact ◽  
Income Level ◽  
Rural Household ◽  
Primary Data ◽  
Living Standard ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Employment Generation ◽  
Employment Guarantee

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has been playing an important role in employment generation and poverty alleviation in rural India. It was “an Act to provide for the enhancement of livelihood security of the households in rural areas of the country by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members’ volunteer to do unskilled manual work and for matters connected or incidental thereto”. In this paper, an effort has been made to evaluate the changes in terms of employment level, income level, expenditure pattern, savings pattern, and living standard of the sample beneficiaries in the study area between pre- MGNREGP and post- MGNREGP period; and to offer policy measures to improve the performance of the MGNREG program in generating rural livelihood. The present study is mainly based on primary data collected directly from the selected sample beneficiaries of MGNREGP through personal interviews. Simple statistical tools like averages, ratios, percentages have been employed for the analysis. The main findings reveal that the proportion of employment generation, income generation, average expenditure, and savings, and assets creation were found to be quite significant in the post-MGNREGP period as compared to that of in pre-MGNREGP period in the study areas. Similarly, the MGNREGP has made a positive impact on the living standard of sample beneficiaries in the study areas. Based on the findings, the study suggested that the statutory 100 days of employment per adult member of the rural household should be guaranteed instead of 100 days per rural household. This would help to improve the income level of households who mainly depend on MGNREGP for their livelihood, and the performance of MGNREGP in backward (Jagalur) taluk is low. Therefore the officials should take for effective implementation of the program in the backward areas.

scholarly journals BARRIERS AND CHALLENGES IN INCREASING RURAL EMPLOYMENT: LABOUR RESOURCES AND SELECTED POLICY INSTRUMENTS. THE CASE OF EU COHESION POLICY AND COMMON AGRICULTURAL POLICY INTERVENTIONS IN POLAND

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michał DUDEK ◽  
Bożena KARWAT-WOŹNIAK
Keyword(s):  
Rural Areas ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Policy Instruments ◽  
Labour Markets ◽  
Skilled Workers ◽  
Cohesion Policy ◽  
Structural Funds ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Barriers And Challenges ◽  
The Eu

An important feature of many rural markets is the over-supply of labour. An insufficient number of jobs in rural areas is usually associated with the shortage of capital, companies, consumers and skilled workers, i.e. limited impact of the agglomeration effect. Additionally, in regions with structural changes in agriculture, the phenomenon of increased or hidden unemployment is visible. One of the important objectives of labour market policy in Poland was a promotion of employment, especially in peripheral, poor and agricultural territories. Along with the accession of Poland to the EU, both agricultural and cohesion policy instruments supported by the structural funds have also been aimed at resolving the problems of rural labour markets. They concerned mainly the diversification of agricultural activities, support of entrepreneurship, as well as development of knowledge and skills. The paper considers the barriers and challenges in increasing employment in rural Poland. In particular, the changes on local rural labour markets and the influence of relevant policy tools thereon have been studied. The study is based on the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the public statistics and information on the implementation of selected EU CAP and Cohesion Policy instruments in Poland from the period 2007-2014 and the literature of the subject. The study showed that, despite the favourable economic situation and the effects of projects aimed at creating and maintaining non-agricultural jobs in rural areas supported by the EU founds, the rural employment rate and the number of people employed in agriculture did not increase significantly. In this context, the paper provides the explanation of limited improvements in terms of rural employment and policy offers recommendations in this area.

scholarly journals Drawing a Link—Women’s Empowerment and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: A Study Conducted in the Goalpara District, Assam

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (3) ◽  
pp. 21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dr Manisha Bhattacharyya
Keyword(s):  
Rural Women ◽  
Women's Empowerment ◽  
Public Works ◽  
Women’S Empowerment ◽  
Economic Empowerment ◽  
Cash Income ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Her Family ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Employment Guarantee

This article reports on an empirical research that examined the extent of economic empowerment gained by women engaged in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in the district of Goalpara, Assam. The key objective of the MGNREGA is to provide social security to rural households by guaranteeing 100 days of paid employment in public works within a year. Based on nine variables (education, land ownership, ownership of other assets, control over income contributed by a woman to her family, control over the income of the family, savings, access to credit, social participation, cash income earned from income generating activities) and calculated using empowerment index, the research compared the magnitude of women’s empowerment before and after getting involved in MGNREGA. The findings suggest that while MGNREGA is an important leap to ensuring economic empowerment to rural women, but the scheme has not been implemented properly in the district—women and men not getting 100 days of employment, irregular mode of payment, very slow progress and poor quality in public works.

The Association Between Participation in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program and Smoking in India

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 2246-2253
Author(s):  
Srikant Devaraj ◽  
Pankaj C Patel
Keyword(s):  
Human Development ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Estimation Method ◽  
Positive Influence ◽  
Rural Poor ◽  
Unemployment Rates ◽  
Mahatma Gandhi ◽  
Rural Employment ◽  
Employment Guarantee

Abstract Background This paper examines whether participating in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Program (NREGA) is associated with the likelihood of smoking among program participants in India. Methods We use two-stage residual inclusion (2SRI) estimation method and two waves of India Human Development Surveys completed before (2005) and after (2012) NREGA implementation. Results The likelihood of smoking increased with NREGA participation. For every 10% increase in NREGA income, the likelihood of smoking bidis (but not cigarettes) increased by 0.88 percentage point. A bidi, a stick of unprocessed tobacco wrapped in temburini leaves, is a significantly cheaper alternative to cigarettes. Nonparticipants who had a comparable increase in income between the two India Human Development Survey waves did not show an increase in likelihood of smoking. The heterogeneity in NREGA treatment effect shows that smoking tendency is not influenced by caste/religion or literacy. Conclusions NREGA, as the largest workfare program, most certainly has had a significantly positive influence on the rural poor in India. The findings highlight its small but meaningful influence of a negative health behavior, greater likelihood of uptake of smoking bidis/hookah among program participants. Implications Existing studies have found mixed evidence of an exogenous increase in income among low-income adults and its impact on smoking. No studies to date have tested the influence of workfare programs in rural areas of developing countries, where unemployment rates are higher and a substantial share of population in those areas is poor. Based on participation in employment guarantee programs as a proxy for exogenous increase in guaranteed income among rural population in India, we find that participants in the program were more likely to smoke bidis/hookah but not cigarettes.

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