Editorial With Sujit Nair | Is Government Neglecting MGNREGA?

HW News Editorial with Sujit Nair

In this edition of 'Editorial,' Mr. Sujit Nair discusses the declining employment opportunities in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). Over the past three years since the onset of the pandemic, there has been a consistent decrease in the amount of work provided by the rural jobs guarantee program, dropping from 38.9 million person days in 2020-21 to 28 million in the current financial year, as per data from the rural development ministry. Concurrently, the number of households receiving the full 100 days of work in a financial year has plummeted by a staggering 61%. In the crucial year of 2020-21, when the employment scheme was vital for numerous workers, 7.19 million households achieved 100 days of work, according to ministry data. However, in the current financial year of 2023-24, only 2.75 million households have been able to meet the legally mandated full quota.