Mitigation co-benefits of carbon sequestration from MGNREGS in India

Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme a large social security programme being implemented in India, with an average annual investment of US$ 7 billion. The bulk of the activities under this programme are focused on natural resources such as land, water and trees, which provide adaptation benefits. In this study an attempt is made to estimate the carbon sequestration achieved and future potential, as a co-benefit, from MGNREGS. The total mean carbon sequestered at the national level, considering the cumulative number of natural resource based activities, for the year 2017–18 was estimated to be 102 MtCO2. The annual mean carbon sequestration is projected to increase to about 132 MtCO2 by 2020 and 249 MtCO2 by 2030. Drought proofing is one of the activities implemented under MGNREGS and it includes tree planting, relevant to achieving the NDC carbon sink target. The cumulative carbon sink created by drought proofing activities is projected to be 56 MtCO2 in 2020, 281 MtCO2 in 2025 and 561 MtCO2 in 2030. This study demonstrates the significant carbon sink potential of MGNREGS and highlights the importance of estimation and reporting climate mitigation co-benefits of adaptation actions such as MGNREGS under the Paris Agreement.

Human Development Equally Important For Economic Development

Many States are failing to keep the momentum up in pushing the growth rate either because their social capacity is not up to the brim and people are struggling to get two ends meal. What the States are needed to keep continuing with investment at ever increasing rate and deal social priorities differently? There are many States which face the wrath of anti-incumbency every five years the reason for this larger section of the people remain untouched with the development schemes. It is their bad luck that neither did they get the benefit of moving up in the social hierarchy nor they are covered with some employment guarantee scheme. The vulnerability during the pandemic have further added the burden of making the people socially strong. Education and health both have gone through serious setback.

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) - An Overview

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) was introduced in 2006 by the Government of India to provide 100 days’ assurance employment for the poor rural citizen to make their employment security. The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA sponsors various schemes for helping rural people below the poverty line for the construction of wage employment and productive assets, but this scheme has either both advantages and disadvantages due to many reasons; hence, this study reviews the clear perspective of people on this above system. Besides, the purpose of this study is to provide an overview of the MGNREGA scheme for easy access and reference by researchers, which will be supportive for a policymaker to advance the scheme.

PERFORMANCE OF MAHATMA GANDHI NATIONAL RURAL EMPLOYMENT GUARANTEE SCHEME IN KARNATAKA: A SEASONAL WISE ANALYSIS

Rural labours are migrating to the urban areas searching for jobs, because of they don’t get jobs in agricultural lean season and Most of the unorganised sector workers are deprived of basic social security measures, like, health, income, employment etc. In this context, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGA) as a fall-back employment source is designed to make significant difference to livelihood security in rural areas especially rural poor. The study mainly focused on four questions like, does MGNREGS has properly used fund by seasonal wise; to know the seasonal wise household demanded and provided for employment; to know the share of employment generation among social groups and dose MGNREGS has created more persondays in drought affected years in Karnataka. In this context the present study an attempt to the Seasonal Variation of Employment Generation and Utilization of Fund under MGNREGS in Karnataka. The study found that Whereas coefficient of variation is less in summer season it is evidently on an average 83 percent of workers are benefited from employment during the summer and Rabi season. As compared to the all financial years, on an average of women generated Persondays was highest 44.50 percent in summer season followed by 43.64 percent in Rabi, but in Kharif season was least 11.85 percent. Similar in all year’s during summer and Rabi season have highest proportion of hundred days work done, but least proportion in Kharif season. The study mainly efforts on rainy season it means south west monsoon period the proportion of average rainfall was highest (486mm in July 2013), but it is continuously declined to 244mm in July 2017. But not much rainfall in other remaining months. The study suggests that the MGNREGS programme works should be season wise planning and timely work distribution for who have demanded for work and also to concentrate on more agriculture related works and awareness in gross root level. KEYWORDS: MGNREGS, Seasonal wise Employment Generation, Fund Utilization, Average Rainfall and Drought.

Has MGNREGS Affected Farm Profitability?

It is argued that the national rural employment guarantee scheme introduced during 2006 has increased the farm wage rate substantially by artificially increasing demand for labour. This seems to have resulted in sharp reduction in farm profitability. Is there any substance in this argument? Chapter 6 delves into this issue deeply utilizing cost of cultivation survey data from different states and different crops consisting of both low and high value crops. The chapter also narrates why the impact of MGNRGES on farm profitability cannot be the same for all crops and all states with empirical evidence. With an analysis of operation-wise cost of cultivation, this chapter also attempts to bring out the variation in its impact between high productivity states and low productivity states.

The extent of financial inclusion through MGNREGS: a district level analysis in West Bengal, India

PurposeMahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) launched in the year 2006, with the pursuit of the objective of removing poverty and unemployment and thus address the issue of financial inclusion. The performance of the programme across the states in India has not been uniform. The purpose of this study is to focus on the financial inclusiveness features associated with MGNREGS program across the selected districts in West Bengal in the years of recent past.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, financial inclusion index has been developed by consideration of four indicators with the help of principal component method. Fixed effect regression model has been applied to explain the impact of relevant determinants on financial inclusion index.FindingsIt is observed that out of 19 districts, seven districts registered an increase in the value of the financial inclusion index in the year 2019 compared to that in the year 2013. The empirical analysis for identifying the determinants of overall inclusion reveals that factors like households having active job card, utilization of fund, amount of labour cost and number of works have significant influence on financial inclusion.Originality/valueThe study widely discussed how the scheme was helping in promoting financial inclusion by providing wage payment through banks and post offices accounts. The author has also tried to highlight some of the difficulties in accelerating the speed of financial inclusion when banks and post offices are used as a means for wage payment and finally provide remedial measures that could be taken to tackle these problems.

Aggregate Effects from Public Works: Evidence from India

This paper explores the aggregate economic effects from India's National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), which provides up to 100 days of labor to rural laborers at the mandated minimum wage. We examine the within-district change to night-time lights and banking deposits using the staggered program rollout for identification. We find consistent and robust evidence that NREGS increased aggregate economic output by 1-2% per capita measured by night-time lights. This effect, however, is not equal across districts. We observe no positive effect of the program in poorer districts, illuminating an important source of heterogeneity.

Does Political Affirmative Action Work, and for Whom? Theory and Evidence on India’s Scheduled Areas

Does political affirmative action undermine or promote development? We present the first systematic analysis of Scheduled Areas in India, home to 100 million citizens, where local political office is reserved for the historically disadvantaged Scheduled Tribes. A newly constructed dataset of 217,000 villages allows us to probe conflicting hypotheses on the implementation of the world’s largest workfare program, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. We find that reservations deliver no worse overall outcomes, that there are large gains for targeted minorities, and that these gains come at the cost of the relatively privileged, not other minorities. We also find improvements in other pro-poor programs, including a rural roads program and general public goods. Reservations more closely align benefits to each group’s population share, allaying concerns of overcompensation for inequalities. Contrary to the expectations of skeptics, results indicate that affirmative action can redistribute both political and economic power without hindering overall development.