MGNREGA Bibliography

Abstract

The study evaluated the agricultural productivity effects of rural infrastructure investments and employment provision under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in India. The study assesses how public works, such as land development, micro-irrigation, drought-proofing, and rural connectivity, support key agricultural outcomes, including cultivated area, crop yield, and total production. Using state-level panel data from 2016 to 2023 and applying both fixed and random effects models, the study rigorously accounts for state-specific heterogeneity and time-invariant factors, ensuring unbiased and policy-relevant estimates of MGNREGA’s impact on agriculture. The empirical findings demonstrate robust positive effects of MGNREGA-facilitated assets, particularly land development, drought-proofing, water conservation, and micro-irrigation, on key agricultural performance indicators. Notably, localised employment generation, as indicated by person-days of employment, emerges as a critical enabler of enhanced productivity. These findings highlight the potential of MGNREGA not merely as a welfare initiative but as a catalytic policy tool for agricultural enhancement. The research underscores the value of integrating rural employment schemes with agronomic needs to improve productivity, stabilise output, and support sustainable rural livelihoods in India’s agrarian economies.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Sandeep-Tripathi-21/publication/3...

Environmental Sustainability Implementation Quantitative

Abstract

Despite increasing digitisation in the implementation of MNREGA, corruption continues to take place in different ways. Based on fieldwork in Rajasthan, Sandhya and Rajeev estimate the mismatch between workers’ reported engagement with the programme and official records. Noting the limitations of this conventional method to measuring corruption under MNREGA, they propose a new approach to capture irregularities in wage payments within a context of technology-based monitoring.

https://www.ideasforindia.in/topics/governance/estimating-wage-corrupt...

Budget Challenges Corruption Implementation Quantitative Wages

Abstract

The United Nations officially adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in 2015, providing a robust structural framework for achieving long-term peace and prosperity for people and the environment. Based on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), this ambitious plan aims to improve the economy, health, and education while addressing poverty, inequality, climate change, and environmental issues. Among other things, the SDGs require the international community to act quickly. India actively developed these objectives and is dedicated to completing them, particularly in establishing economic structures for sustainable development and creating productive jobs. This chapter examines how India’s implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) contributes to accomplishing the SDGs. For over 17 years, the Ministry of Rural Development’s MGNREGA program has been a well-known social security initiative, providing employment opportunities for rural residents and advancing decentralized, infrastructure-based, and ecologically sustainable security. The program has achieved impressive social equity, gender equity, and the utilization of limited resources, such as poverty reduction and climate change adaptation. Thus, reviewing the range of MGNREGA’s activities to the SDG parameters in this chapter reveals how the program supports the cause of eliminating poverty, preserving the environment, and supporting prosperity for all.

https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.1201/9781003741732-13/m...

Challenges Environmental Sustainability Poverty

Abstract

Against the backdrop of liberal capitalist democracies, the welfare state has emerged as a crucial institution that aims to reconcile market-driven economic growth with social justice imperatives. The introduction of MGNREGA in 2005 exemplifies welfare intervention with the objectives of poverty alleviation, livelihood security and the empowerment of marginalised communities. Drawing on concepts such as decommodification and the state-in-society approach, this study evaluates the efficiency of the MGNREGA across India’s diverse sociocultural landscape. By employing a combined approach that integrates data envelopment analysis (DEA) and machine learning (ML) models, such as random forest, this study reveals efficient decision-making units. This study identifies key efficiency drivers for exploring the relationships among resource allocation, workforce participation and various development outcomes achieved through MGNREGA across all 726 districts of India. By weaving together the threads of regional disparities, state capabilities and implementation outcomes, this study sheds light on the enigma of MGNREGA’s uneven success across diverse states in India. Notably, nationally, 36.09% of the districts are efficient, 22.59% are moderately efficient, and 41.32% are inefficient. In essence, while financial factors are necessary for MGNREGA implementation, socio-economic factors, rural infrastructure development and targeted interventions play pivotal roles in determining efficiency.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/jid.70064

Qualitative

Abstract

The Accommodation of Democracy examines the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, or NREGS, in Uttar Pradesh, one of India’s poorest and most populous states. Introduced through legislation passed by India’s Parliament in 2005, NREGS created a legal guarantee of 100 days of employment at a statutory wage rate for all rural citizens.

Thibaud Marcesse asks why the implementation of this ambitious poverty alleviation programme varies so significantly across states and localities. Drawing on multiple data sources and qualitative fieldwork from a rural district in Uttar Pradesh, he develops the concept of “democratic accommodation” to show how citizens’ claims on the state are shaped not only by economic and status-based inequalities, but also by the actions of local elected officials and bureaucrats.

The book offers a sobering account of democratic practice in rural India. It shows that while local-level democratisation has expanded political participation, it has not necessarily produced deeper democratic empowerment for rural communities.

https://academic.oup.com/book/61721

Challenges Implementation Politics Poverty Qualitative Quantitative

Abstract

The imperilled Act made it easier for ordinary people to make claims on the State, to negotiate with local power structures, form friendships and networks on worksites.

https://behanbox.com/2026/02/15/when-work-became-a-right-the-social-li...

Caste Gender Implementation Wages

Abstract

India’s Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), enacted in 2005, is an experiment of major significance. Drawing on official statistics, this paper presents a broad-brush retrospective on MGNREGA’s first 20 years, focusing inter alia on employment generation, the participation of marginalized groups, real wages, administrative expenditure, and comparative experiences of different Indian states. The program is an important demonstration of the possibility of a legal job guarantee, but its practical achievements are still heavily concentrated in a few states.

https://www.levyinstitute.org/publications/a-short-history-of-mgnrega-...

Budget Gender Implementation Poverty Quantitative Wages

Abstract

This paper discusses the prevailing mechanisms of transparency and accountability in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act and brings out the problems and challenges in its implementation. Since Mahatma Gandhi NREGA aims to reduce poverty and create economic opportunities for better livelihood in rural India, the Government of India has initiated good governance measures in the programme. Where good governance practices are adhered to, the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has contributed to better delivery of benefits to job seekers and sustainable development. Based on a review of the existing literature, the paper provides best practices to improve the quality of programme implementation with better governance practices. The paper also discusses various institutional frameworks appropriate for transparent administration and efficacy. Finally, this paper links the contribution of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA towards achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2024/v43/i2/173502

Challenges Implementation

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has played a crucial role in enhancing climate resilience in rural India. This policy review examines the effectiveness of MGNREGA in mitigating climate change impacts through sustainable asset creation, water conservation, afforestation, and soil management. The study evaluates key policy interventions, their implementation challenges, and the extent to which MGNREGA aligns with climate adaptation strategies. Additionally, it explores the role of community participation and governance mechanisms in improving environmental sustainability. The findings suggest that while MGNREGA has contributed significantly to climate resilience, gaps in policy execution, funding, and monitoring remain. Strengthening climate-centric planning within MGNREGA can enhance its impact on long-term ecological sustainability and rural livelihoods.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/390066312_Climate_Resilience_...

Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The study investigates whether the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme acts in a procyclical, countercyclical, or neutral manner in response to economic fluctuations captured by the changes in GDP. Results indicate a significant negative long-term relationship between MGNREGA work supply and GDP across all stages of variable decomposition as well as between trend-excluded and seasonally adjusted demand cycles and GDP from Q1: 2013–14 to Q2: 2022–23.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2025/17/insight/enhancing-livelihood-securi...

Poverty Quantitative Wages

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is a comprehensive and effective programme introduced by the Government of India in 2006 to reduce poverty and unemployment in rural India. It has two objectives: one is to provide 100 days of guaranteed wage employment to every rural household whose adult members are willing to do unskilled manual work, and the second is to ensure a minimum of 33% employment for women under the programme. This study aims to analyse the inclusiveness of the programme and the employment opportunities it provides to marginalised communities, such as Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and women, in Uttarakhand, India. The study takes the secondary data from official websites of MGNREGA covering 2020-21 to 2024-25 on three broad parameters, such as (1) Financial Progress, (2) Physical Progress, and (3) Inclusiveness of the programme. The study takes data from 2020-21 to 2024-25, and found that MGNREGS experienced significant growth, characterised by increased budget allocations and effective fund utilisation, indicative of strong implementation. The timely processing of payments has consistently been outstanding, strengthening the confidence of the workforce. The overall increase in employment days per household and infrastructure projects indicates a beneficial effect of the scheme on rural livelihoods. Nonetheless, reductions in average wages and variations in project completion highlight difficulties in wage advancement and task execution. The consistent majority participation of women highlights the programme’s significance in promoting gender inclusion. Meanwhile, the stable involvement of Scheduled Castes and the fluctuating participation of Scheduled Tribes indicate the influence of social and regional dynamics. Changes in spending habits related to agriculture and resource management, however, indicate a transformation in priorities. To ensure continued effectiveness, it is essential to concentrate on enhancing wage rates, completing projects on schedule, and distributing resources fairly.

https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5740322

Budget Implementation Quantitative

Abstract

When India enacted the MGNREGS in 2005, it was a proxy for genuine unemployment insurance. Job guarantees as a concept are not recent inventions nor ideological indulgences. They have existed from the pre-colonial era as famine works.

https://indianexpress.com/article/opinion/columns/famine-relief-to-job...

Environmental Sustainability Politics Poverty

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is helping rural people below the poverty line to create wage employment and productive assets. As per the information available with NREGASoft, around 30 lakh assets are created annually under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. The main issues are lack of proper planning, transparency, and accountability while creating assets, which leads to duplicate assets, non-existent assets on the ground, and the creation of non-quality assets. This paper aims to analyse the various available GIS-based tools that can improve planning and governance in implementing Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. Secondary data from multiple web portals pertaining to GIS-based planning and monitoring Mahatma Gandhi NREGS have been used. The right-based approach in development, empowerment of citizens, inclusiveness, and digital and geospatial technology applications have necessitated good governance in each and every programme in the country, more so which are directly linked to the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of the rural masses. India has been pioneering applications of geospatial technology for development, natural resource management (NRM), connectivity, agriculture and water resources development, and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is a harbinger in this domain, which has brought in a sea change in the participation, asset development, social security, and optimum use of resources. Geospatial governance tools such as Bhuvan Geo-Portal GeoMGNREGA, Yuktdhara, Janmanrega, and Mobile GIS-based CLART tool are bringing unprecedented transparent and effective governance system in the planning, monitoring and implementation of the programmes.

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2024/v43/i2/173504

Implementation Poverty

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has emerged as one of India’s most significant social protection policies, offering the rural poor – particularly women – income opportunities while safeguarding their dignity. This study critically evaluates the scheme’s impact on women’s empowerment across five blocks of Purulia district, West Bengal, India, using panel data spanning FY 2012–2013 to FY 2022–2023. Employing rigorous econometric techniques, including the Levin, Lin, & Chu test for data stationarity, the Breusch–Pagan Lagrange Multiplier test for model specification, and the Durbin-Watson test to address autocorrelation, the analysis provides robust empirical insights. The results indicate a remarkable rise in women’s participation under MGNREGA: annual person-days increased by 192.28 per cent, the number of active women workers grew by 85.48 per cent, and gross yearly income surged by 379.26 per cent, contributing to a 158.4 per cent increase in per capita income. Regression analysis confirms a positive association between women’s person-days and average annual per capita income. The findings underscore that women’s empowerment is strongly mediated by the availability of working days, suggesting the need for demand-responsive implementation of MGNREGA to further strengthen gender equity and rural livelihoods in India.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09614524.2025.2604630

Environmental Sustainability Gender Quantitative Wages

Abstract

The Government of India introduced the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) in September 2005. This law guarantees 100 days of paid work each year to adult members of rural households who need jobs and are willing to do unskilled manual labour. The programme aims to improve rural livelihoods and reduce poverty by providing wage employment. However, several issues have been found in how the programme is designed and managed, from the local Panchayat to the state and national levels. These challenges at the grassroots level have affected the programme’s success. It is important to understand what has worked well, what has not, and how the programme can be improved in terms of governance at the grassroots. Using data collected for a nationwide study from 7,950 households across 25 states, this paper reports challenges and issues that constrain implementation at the panchayat level. The findings show that some states are well ahead of others in terms of efficiency but lag behind in effectiveness. Based on these results, it can be concluded that the scheme’s governance still needs to be improved. The findings emphasise the importance of enhancing efficiency, fostering worker participation, and addressing entitlements to achieve sustainable livelihoods and meaningful outcomes across all states and UTs.

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2024/v43/i2/173499

Challenges Implementation

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is an effectual and comprehensive flagship program of the Indian government aimed at offering causal and assured employment opportunities to the rural population of the country, especially women, schedule caste (SCs) and schedule tribes (STs) communities. The MGNREGS Programme aims to promote inclusive development through a demand-driven and participatory approach because India’s rural areas have been characterized by rampant deprivations and lack of resources. This study analyses the recent developments in the financial progress, physical progress, and inclusiveness of the MGNREGS in Uttar Pradesh, India. This study used secondary data sourced from the official MGNREGA websites covering the period from 2020-21 to 2024- 25. The analysis shows that the effectiveness of the MGNREGS programme in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India, has not been effective in achieving the objectives of a minimum of 100 days of satisfactory job, and only a small number of people completed the 100 days from 2020-21-2024-25 and overall average days of employment was 44.44 days. However, the participation of women in the MGNREGS was more than the statutory limit of 33% over the year from 2020-21 to 2024- 25 and continuously increased every year but slightly declined to 41.8% in 2024-25. The SC/ST person-days generated reduced over the year, and it found that the SC and ST person-days under the MGNREGS were the highest at 31.75% and 1.13% in 2022-23 and 2021-22, respectively. However, the study recommends aligning the MGNREGS programme with the marginalized group of people and focusing on climate-resilient works that create sustainable infrastructure in rural India and give priority to agriculture and allied sectors to transform the livelihood security of the rural community.

https://saudijournals.com/media/articles/SJEF_95_163-174c.pdf

Caste Gender Implementation

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is India’s rural employment guarantee programme that provides 100 days of work to each household and mandates payment of wages within 15 days of completion of work. MGNREGA has been subject to many technological interventions purported to improve efficiency and transparency. Many of these interventions were introduced without any consultation or scientific piloting resulting in violation of workers’ rights. We focus on two digital interventions. Firstly, in the financial year 2021–22, wage payments of workers were segregated based on their caste. Notwithstanding delays in wage payments, we find there is a statistically significant difference in the time taken to process payments across caste. This provides an empirical corroboration of how this move created caste tensions at worksites. Just in our sample, the compensation as per law that is payable to workers due to delays by the union government alone is ₹399 million. This is neither acknowledged nor paid. Secondly, we demonstrate that there is no statistically significant difference either in timely payment of wages or in payment rejections between the Aadhaar-Based Payment System (ABPS) and the standard account-based methods. Our analysis is based on 31.36 million transactions across 10 states from financial year 2021–22 crawled from the programme’s Management Information System. This is the first large-scale data-based evidence debunking officially stated claims of timely payments due to ABPS. We also examine official government circulars, documents retrieved using Right to Information responses combined with our immersive fieldwork to underscore our findings. In summary, we argue that any digital technology introduced in MGNREGA or any other social policy must be done through a consultative process, independent audits, giving centrality to workers’ rights.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41027-024-00539-9

Caste Challenges Corruption Implementation Wages

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is a flagship program aimed at enhancing livelihood security through guaranteed wage employment for rural households. This study evaluates the effectiveness of MGNREGA implementation in Nagaland with a particular focus on employment outcomes and inclusion gaps during the period 2022–2024. Drawing on official performance data, the research highlights key discrepancies between job card issuance, employment demand, and actual work provided across districts in the state. Notably, despite high job card coverage, Nagaland recorded one of the lowest proportions of households completing 100 days of employment (0.1%) in FY 2023–24. The analysis further reveals significant gaps in the inclusion of vulnerable segments, with Scheduled Tribes constituting the majority of beneficiaries, minimal participation from Scheduled Castes, and less than 50% representation of women. These findings point to underlying structural and administrative challenges affecting the scheme’s outreach and efficacy. The study concludes with recommendations for enhancing demand generation, equitable participation, and program transparency to strengthen the impact of MGNREGA in Nagaland.

https://cdes.org.in/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/2-MGNREGA-in-Nagaland-A...

Caste Challenges Gender Implementation Poverty Quantitative

Abstract

This paper discusses the role of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in creating and strengthening various infrastructure assets in rural India. It critically analyses the number of assets, employment generation, and contribution to improving rural livelihoods. It also analyses the amount spent on each infrastructure activity, with a particular focus on agriculture, natural resource management, basic services-related works, and the construction of infrastructure to support the production activities of Self-Help Groups (SHGs). The information for the paper was obtained from the Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) website. The analysis adopted is to work out the percentage of expenditures on various assets and the number of works carried out from 2013-14 to 2023-24. Based on the analysis, the paper has uncovered sufficient evidence of the growing trend of allocating funds to infrastructure strengthening, with over 60 per cent of Mahatma Gandhi NREGS funding allocated to assets related to agriculture and Natural Resource Management (NRM) activities. The last two years have seen an annual expenditure of around Rs. 30000 crore on building rural infrastructure, primarily in the agriculture sector, which has significantly strengthened rural livelihoods and reduced poverty. Finally, this paper provides policy suggestions to improve the governance for better implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA.

https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2024/v43/i2/173506

Environmental Sustainability Implementation

Abstract

Background: Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, was notified by Ministry of rural development, GOI in September, 2005. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is the first statute in the history of India empowering rural India with the power of work. The present study aims to analyse socio-economic profile of the beneficiaries of MGNREGA: A study on the MGNREGA in Nalanda district of Bihar. Methods: In this research during the year 2022-2023. Nalanda district in Bihar is selected for the study. Hilsa block for the study since it contains the greatest number of MGNREGA beneficiaries. Six villages in total were purposefully chosen for the study. A random sample of 120 respondents was obtained. Pre-structured interview schedules were used to gather the data and relevant statistical analysis was carried out to determine the significant findings. Result: The findings of the study shows that the majority of respondents 42.50 percent belong to the middle age group; the majority of respondents 46.67 per cent were illiterate; the majority 47.50 per cent belonged to the schedule class caste; the majority 53.34 per cent held land holdings of less than one acre; the majority 39.17 per cent worked alone as their primary occupation; forty per cent had low annual incomes; the majority 50.83 per cent had a family of medium size; the majority 43.33 per cent were involved in social activities; the majority 48.33 per cent had medium-level social participation and most (47.50%) of the respondents were having medium level of extension contacts.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/382356303_Socio-economic_Prof...

Caste Gender Poverty Quantitative

Abstract

The social organisation of productive and reproductive labour leaves women disproportionately vulnerable to climatic changes and extreme weather events. In the Indian context, this could further reduce women’s labour force participation rates from levels that are already relatively low. Employment opportunities for women in the clean energy sector have been noted to create transformative changes in their lives only with policies such as government intervention to provide accessible public services. Towards this end, I propose a gendered and green job guarantee programme directed towards education, health, public transport (or universal basic services), climate mitigation, and climate adaptation activities.

The intersections between gendered livelihoods and the climate crisis, as well as the gendered and environmental implications of the existing rural employment guarantee in India, are reviewed. Gender-disaggregated employment creation through the proposed job guarantee programme and the budgetary implications are estimated, along with suggestions for potential sources of financing. The programme is estimated to result in the creation of 36 million guaranteed jobs, which accounts for 6% of the workforce as of 2023. Of these jobs, women’s employment opportunities constitute 11.6 million. The number of guaranteed jobs created for women accounts for 4% of the rural female workforce and 11.6% of the urban female workforce. Thus, a gendered and green job guarantee programme in India could be an effective form of government intervention to address the interlinked issues of women’s work and climate action in India.

https://doi.org/10.1017/elr.2025.13

Environmental Sustainability Gender Implementation Urban

Abstract

Technocratic solutions without adequate capacity building will penalise the workers unjustly.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/4/comment/aadhaar-job-card-linkages-pe...

Challenges Implementation

Abstract

Poverty remains a major challenge for the countries of the global south. Decent employment opportunity, a crucial determinant of poverty reduction, is increasingly becoming elusive for those countries regardless of a decent rate of economic growth. There is a growing separation of economic growth and employment growth under the aegis of neo-liberal economic policies. Economic growth, instead of becoming inclusive, turns out to be “jobless” or “job loss.” Failing to reverse this trend, “Active Labour Market Policies” (ALMPs) in the form of “Public Works Programmes” (PWPs) have emerged as a major strategy to reduce unemployment and poverty. Secondly, rural–urban migration is very much relied upon for the same. Raising agricultural productivity, a crucial question of “agrarian transition,” well evident and verified across the globe, is, however, becoming oblivion in the fight against poverty. In this context, based on a primary survey of 300 households in the poorest regions of India, this paper endeavors to investigate the relative strength of MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), rural–urban migration, and land productivity on poverty. The study suggests that an agrarian-centric intervention is more effective in dealing with poverty as compared to MGNREGA (ALMPs) and migration.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/10875549.2024.2379783

Poverty Quantitative

Abstract

Indias rural employment guarantee scheme, generally referred to by its unpronounceable acronym MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act), is one of the largest-ever efforts to systematically assure access to employment through public action. With five crore participating households and accounting at its peak for over 0.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) and almost 4% of government expenditure, it dwarfs most other policies of this type around the world. Of course, this is not a new idea. The use of public works programmes as a means to reduce poverty and unemployment, or to distribute incomes in times of famine or natural disaster, has a long history, in India and elsewhere. This policy instrument was widely used both in ancient empires and during the colonial period.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/6/book-reviews/how-has-mgnrega-fared.h...

Challenges Implementation Politics Poverty

Abstract

Over the last 18 years, state governments ruled by different political parties across the political spectrum have attempted to expand the scope and vision of MGNREGA. But the case of Odisha stands out in the country in providing additional 200 days of work on and above the mandatory 100 days of work under MGNREGA and bearing the financial burden to pay the additional cost for MGNREGA workers on par with the wage for unskilled workers in the state. In this article, we analyse the implications of the Odisha government’s above decision on the income and employment opportunities for the most distressed communities in four districts and compare them with other districts of Odisha to suggest the need for such a progressive decision in other distressed districts in the country.

https://www.epw.in/engage/article/mahatma-gandhi-national-rural-employ...

Implementation Politics

Abstract

The National Mobile Monitoring System application is examined two years after its deployment to understand its impact on MGNREGA. Unpacking the app’s design and features, the user experience of MGNREGA front-line functionaries and workers is assessed. Explaining how the app has affected the fundamental provisions of MGNREGA, the rationale behind the app as well as its performance against its intended objectives as stated by the Ministry of Rural Development is reviewed.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/48/commentary/mgnregas-attendance-app....

Challenges Corruption Implementation

Abstract

A study based in Kangra, Himachal Pradesh, found that after a certain threshold, employment generation schemes like MGNREGA led to big gains in both livelihood and forest cover outcomes in areas with plantations. The impact of MGNREGA leads to a high win-win outcome for livelihood and forest cover when job days cross 1210, the researchers found. Apart from livelihood schemes, strengthening local decision making bodies which are based on collective action could also help livelihood and forest outcomes, the study found.

https://ecologyandsociety.org/vol29/iss1/art32/

Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The persondays for MGNREGS generated in 2022-23 were 28.4 crore more than 2019-20, and have shot even higher by almost 40 crore in 2023-24 till date. Meanwhile, rural wage rates over the last decade have been consistently lower as compared to the previous decade.

https://thewire.in/labour/rural-economy-mgnregs-demand-low-wages

Challenges Wages

Abstract

Depletion of groundwater is a major challenge in India. This paper examines how a major rural public works program (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act of 2005) that financed the construction of surface water infrastructure that may have plausibly increased aquifer recharge rates impacted groundwater levels. Using a difference-in-differences approach on the staggered and heterogeneous rollout of the program, the paper shows that groundwater levels increased after its implementation. These increases were concentrated in states that constructed the largest number of program-financed surface water projects. The observed increases in groundwater appear to have led to increases in the irrigated area of high-value crops and greater overall irrigation during the dry season.

https://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/099309309032424317/pdf/IDU...

Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

There are internal constraints and structural barriers to women’s claim-making under MGNREGA. Supporting more egalitarian decision-making within the village, designing interventions that can help women gain confidence to speak out in public and making officials more responsive could all help.

https://www.theindiaforum.in/public-policy/staking-claim-entitlements-...

Gender

Abstract

Since the onset of the twenty-first century, India has initiated various social welfare programs to provide social protection for the people who have been marginalized from the formal social safety net. Since 2005, legislation has granted a series of social rights to marginalized rural households. Among these rights-based welfare programs, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) stands out as the flagship initiative of India’s new welfare system. It has targeted marginalized informal rural households, who have not enjoyed the fruits of the social safety net, by formally granting them the right to employment. It has also incorporated new governance ideas such as a demand-driven approach, decentralized implementation, and social audit to increase accountability and transparency. The MGNREGA has emerged as the largest social welfare scheme in terms of budget allocation and coverage, yielding positive outcomes such as increased beneficiary incomes, advancement of gender equality, and creation of assets in rural areas. Nonetheless, despite the expansion of the MGNREGA all over India, policy outcomes have been uneven between the states in terms of participation rates, the relationship between poverty level and participation, and cumulative average person-days per household. This prompts the question: why does the MGNREGA produce superior policy outcomes in certain states but not in others? By delving into the politics surrounding policy implementation at the local level, this paper argues that the degree of goal congruence between policy implementers shapes divergent policy outcomes.

https://doi.org/10.1142/S2717541324400084

Challenges Implementation Politics

Abstract

According to the Government of India, linking Aadhaar with the delivery of welfare schemes has saved nearly `2,73,093 crore till March 2022 due to, apparently, the removal of duplicate/fake beneficiaries and plugging of leakages, etc. What is the overall impact of Aadhaar on welfare delivery? We try to understand this through a case study of MGNREGA in Jharkhand. Surveying nearly 3,000 workers in eight villages in Jharkhand to assess both the costs and benefits of linking MGNREGA with Aadhaar, the paper focuses on its impact on errors of inclusion and exclusion.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2024/1/special-articles/link-or-not-link.ht...

Challenges Implementation

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is becoming a milestone in empowering women. MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee of 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to volunteer household adults by ensuring at least 33% women workers. It has vital potential to check discrimination and disparities might it be economic or gender based. The gamut of the present paper is to explore the impact of MGNREGA on economic empowerment of women in rural India in general and Himachal Pradesh in particular. From the findings, it is clear that in India, the share of women participation in MGNREGA work has increased to 50.24% in 2014-15 as compared to 47.07% in FY 2012-13. Among states, Tamilnadu is the leading state in the country where women have generated 3086.82 lakh persondays in 2013-14 followed by Andhra Pradesh 1756.56 lakh persondays and Rajasthan 1245.75 lakh persondays. In Himachal Pradesh, the share of women worker has been 58.09% in MGNREGA in 2014-15 and 176.60 lakh persondays generated in 2013-14 which was 118.8 lakh in 2011-12. The data revealed that Mandi district has generated the highest persondays in the last three years followed by district Kangra. In a nutshell, we can say that both at national and state levels, women participation in MGNREGA is increasing with the passage of time and they are sharing financial burden with men in shouldering family responsibilities.

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/368653310_A_Study_of_Women_Pa...

Gender

Abstract

Agriculture and rural incomes are under stress for several reasons. The budget has given importance to agriculture and allied activities and strengthening their cooperative model, digital infrastructure, and the production of millets. These are steps in the right direction, but much more needs to be done. There is a need to change the narrative towards more diversified, high-value production, food systems approach for nutrition-sensitive agriculture, inclusion and sustainable agriculture.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/12/budget-2023-24/agriculture-and-rura...

Budget

Abstract

In India, distress migration has always been a matter of grave concern. Such a phenomenon is attributed mainly inter alia to persistent poverty, food insecurity, and lack of employment opportunities. Intending to arrest distress migration, the Government of India introduced Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005. In 2013, the convergence program was introduced. This study, based on the primary survey of 590 households covering some migration-prone districts of Odisha, thus, examines the impact of MGNREGA and associated convergence activities on distress migration. We employ the Mahalanobis Distance Metric matching method to assess the impact on distress migration, including certain economic wellbeing indicators. Anecdotes and empirical results indicate that the MGNREGA and the convergence schemes seem to have been effective in arresting distress migration, thanks to the rise in household incomes. Other notable impacts include a rise in saving propensities, female employment, and food expenditure. Suffice to state that with timely implementation and appropriate targeting, these measures can remove distress migration and make rural women economically empowered. As these schemes are inherently targeted towards the SC and ST households, if executed successfully, these disadvantaged sections will reap the desired benefits.

https://doi.org/10.1007/s12076-023-00332-0

Gender Implementation

Abstract

In financial year 2022–23, more than 5 crore workers were deleted from the Mahatma Gandhi Na

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/38/commentary/aadhaar-mandate-mass-job...

Quantitative

Abstract

Public employment programs may affect poverty both directly through the income they provide and indirectly through general equilibrium effects. We estimate both effects, exploiting a reform that improved the implementation of India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) and whose rollout was randomized at a large (sub‐district) scale. The reform raised beneficiary households’ earnings by 14%, and reduced poverty by 26%. Importantly, 86% of income gains came from non‐program earnings, driven by higher private‐sector (real) wages and employment. This pattern appears to reflect imperfectly competitive labor markets more than productivity gains: worker’s reservation wages increased, land returns fell, and employment gains were higher in villages with more concentrated landholdings. Non‐agricultural enterprise counts and employment grew rapidly despite higher wages, consistent with a role for local demand in structural transformation. These results suggest that public employment programs can effectively reduce poverty in developing countries, and may also improve economic efficiency.

https://www.econometricsociety.org/publications/econometrica/2023/07/0...

Implementation Poverty Wages

Abstract

The role of the state in guaranteeing employment in rural areas in the wake of a pandemic-induced lockdown is analysed. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the largest ever public funded programme for wage employment in India, is instrumental in bringing social security in rural areas during the pandemic period. However, the adequacy of employment provided was not at the scale it needed. The problem compounded with income fluctuations and regression of consumption expenditure of rural casual workers during the pandemic.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/25-26/special-articles/guaranteeing-em...

Quantitative Wages

Abstract

Examines the inclusive development impacts of the employment guarantee scheme, especially important in COVID-19 times. Draws evidence on macro level latest data, field insights & is based on more than decade long implementation experience. Analyses potential & actual experiences & alternative policy instruments like cash transfer for pros and cons for India

https://link.springer.com/book/10.1007/978-981-15-7443-6

Implementation Quantitative

Abstract

Whichever way you look at it, the IRR is really high: 31% in the baseline scenario. Even in an ultra-conservative scenario where the baseline yields and output price are halved, and just 30% of the saplings survive, our estimated IRR is still a respectable 6% – similar to the rate of return on NREGA wells in the IHD study cited earlier.

Environmental Sustainability

Abstract

The core objective of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is to promote rural development and reduce poverty by supplementing private employment in the rural Indian economy with public employment. This paper is an attempt to verify the performance of MGNREGA by studying four sample villages from West Bengal. The study has built a social accounting matrix from which the output and employment multipliers for each village are computed. However, it shows the demand-side impact, whereas the realisation of MGNREGA’s potential positive multiplier effect depends on supply-side support, which is lacking in the villages. The paper, therefore, suggests supply-side initiatives in MGNREGA through a focus on productivity enhancement measures.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/20/special-articles/multiplier-effect-...

Poverty Quantitative

Abstract

Abstract

Opaque technologies of attendance verifi cation and wage payments are at odds with constitutional rights.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/17/editorials/technocratic-subversion-...

Challenges Wages

Abstract

What is the appropriate process of development? Is a bottom-up process of development that includes the people necessarily the best model of development? Or can development models also be driven from the top? Patching Development: Information Politics and Social Change in India is an important contribution in the debate on development in India that addresses in depth some of these questions by not necessarily taking a stance on the above questions, rather by challenging the dominant mode of understanding the process of development between its two extremes. As much as a top-driven approach does not account for the actual concerns of the people and can cater to the interests of particularistic groups and communities, mired in corruption, so too a bottom-up model can be caught up in the web of local-level hierarchies and power structures without necessarily circumventing it. Through fieldwork in Andhra Pradesh on the delivery of MgNREGA, Rajesh Veeraraghavan offers us a peek into the tensions and challenges of implementation of development schemes at the grassroots level. Through interviews and interactions with upper- and lower-level bureaucrats and the workers on the ground, he offers us a unique insight into contradictions and dilemmas of policymakers, activists, development practitioners and the people.

https://www.epw.in/journal/2023/19/book-reviews/democratic-dilemma-tra...

Challenges Corruption

Abstract

https://www.epw.in/journal/2022/15/letters/abysmal-wage-rates-mgnrega-...

Challenges Wages

Abstract

On 2nd February, 2006, the Government of India implemented the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) as a part of its Common Minimum Programme (CMP) Agenda in 200 districts across India, which was extended to the remaining districts across the states and Union Territories w.e.f. 1st April, 2008. On 2nd October, 2009, the scheme was renamed as ‘Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Pitched tentatively as Mission of Shri Narendra Modi led Government of India with larger ambition of Antyodaya, efforts are being made to work on a major plan to converge Social Welfare Plans and Schemes across Ministries and target these to reach individual households- based on their specific deprivations as indicated in the recently published Socio-Economic Caste Census (SECC). Objectives: (i) To briefly annotate background of employment policies in India, (ii) Concept and provisions of NREGA, (iii) Envelop latest restructuring of social welfare plan, (iv) Illuminate changes in charges of agricultural operations, village economy during post-NREGA period, (v) Pause upon effects, (vi) Gauge potential benefits related to food security, (vii) Discuss current scenario of MNREGA in Bihar and (viii) Suggest Action Points. Methodology: For featuring objective-based analysis, five districts from the Northern, Southern, Eastern, Western and Central regions of the state were taken up. The districts of Samastipur, Kishanganj and Rohtas were selected from Phase-I and Banka and Goplaganj from Phase-II. A total of 10 villages-2 from each district were surveyed using ‘structured household questionnaire’ and a ‘Village Schedule’. Of the two villages selected from each district, one was within a 5 km periphery from the district/city headquarters, and the second was the one, situated at a distance of 20 km or more. 200 participants, i.e. 20 each from the selected 10 villages (who worked as NREGA wage worker)- were surveyed for detailed information. Further, for being elaborately familiarized with around realities in detail, 5 villagers (who did not work as ‘NREGA labourer) were surveyed from each of the 10 villages spread over 5 districts of Bihar. In this way, total sample size was 250. For the selection of participant households, stratified random sampling was used with Scheduled Tribe, Scheduled Caste, Other Backward Caste and Forward Castes (others) given proportionate representation. Reference Period: The study used secondary data for the period before NREGA (i.e. 2001 and 2005) and particular ‘reference years 2009 to 2013’. For primary data, the selected year was 2009 (January- December) and some aspects were revisited in 2019.

https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ijae.20220703.14

Caste Quantitative Urban Wages

Abstract

India’s National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), in the last 15 years, has evolved as the world’s largest employer of the last resort. This social protection, specifically designed as a demand-driven automatic employment stabiliser to enable households to cope with livelihood shocks, offers 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to all rural households. The budget for this unique legislative entitlement in a developing country was nearly doubled from US$8 billion in 2019–20 to $15 billion in 2020–21 to partially offset the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic lockdowns. After the first pandemic wave, NREGA provided employment to 76 million households – more than a third of all rural Indian families. Even though women have consistently worked more than half the NREGA person-days annually, in the midst of the pandemic women’s share of employment declined by 2 per cent in 2020–21. However, this may have been a temporary decrease due to the unprecedented mass reverse exodus of urban migrants to their rural villages. Still, state-level analysis in this research highlights the persistent under-utilisation of NREGA by women in the poorer states of the Indo-Gangetic plain. On the other hand, the southern states have higher participation of women due to a combination of factors including better human development outcomes, higher wages, and sometimes better child-care facilities at worksites, which are necessary nationwide remedies. In particular, in the state of Kerala the novel integration of the government-initiated Kudumbashree community self-help women’s groups with NREGA has led to the feminisation of the programme. This convergence provides important insights on the significance of women’s participation in the decentralised management of NREGA to dilute both gender-intensive and gender-exclusive barriers, which could be fruitfully replicated nationwide.

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13552074.2022.2071978#:~:...

Budget Gender Quantitative Urban Wages

Abstract

Environmental Sustainability