THE CHASE AND THE CHANGE
Down To Earth|March 16, 2021
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has shown what it can achieve by putting water conservation at its core
THE CHASE AND THE CHANGE

Reporting by: Sushmita Sengupta, New Delhi; G Ram Mohan, Ananthapuramu, Andhra Pradesh; Anil Ashwani Sharma, Sidhi, Madhya Pradesh; K A Shaji, Palakkad, Kerala; Bhagirath, Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh, and Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh; Ajit Panda, Balangir, Odisha; Aishwarya Sudha Govindarajan, Nagapattinam, Tamil Nadu; Anand Dutt, Pakur, Jharkhand; Jayanta Basu, Bankura, West Bengal; Swati Bhatia, Dungarpur, Rajasthan, and Sirsa, Haryana; Tamanna Naseer, Chitradurga, Karnataka; Mohd Imran Khan, Kaimur, Bihar; Ishan Kukreti, Jalna, Maharashtra; Shagun Kapil, Ranga Reddy, Telangana; Jumana Shah, Sabarkantha, Gujarat

THE IDEA was simple: to chronicle the change the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA has brought in the lives of people in rural India. It turned out to be a task easier said than done. Fourteen correspondents covered a staggering 16,000 km in 15 states across the country (see map), hampered by restrictions posed by a pandemic, to gauge the impact of the world’s largest public wage programme in its 15th year of implementation.

A country where labour is the only capital for at least 50 per cent of the workforce, the programme guarantees, through a legal framework, at least 100 days of waged employment a year to households in rural India. This has made MGNREGA a much sought-after initiative for sustenance ever since it was implemented in 2006. Data on the MGNREGA website shows that on any given day, some 15 million people work under the programme at 1.4 million sites. In 15 years of implementation, it has generated than 31 billion person days of employment and the government has spent over R6.4 lakh crore on this demand-driven programme.

This story is from the March 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the March 16, 2021 edition of Down To Earth.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DOWN TO EARTHView All
International Women's Day Special SHE
Down To Earth

International Women's Day Special SHE

In India, women self-help groups have been a source of empowerment, fostering economic independence, social stature and community resilience.

time-read
10 mins  |
March 01, 2024
MODERATELY YOURS
Down To Earth

MODERATELY YOURS

The crunchy, slightly sweet tubers of shankhalu can be a healthy addition to one's diet

time-read
3 mins  |
March 01, 2024
TROUBLED TEAK
Down To Earth

TROUBLED TEAK

Farmers need to be sensitised about right planting materials and cultivation techniques to benefit from high-value teak plantations

time-read
6 mins  |
March 01, 2024
Follow the Chinese way on high tech
Down To Earth

Follow the Chinese way on high tech

Making universities the hub of innovation and churning out scientists adept in frontier technology has put China at the top

time-read
4 mins  |
March 01, 2024
Stronger resolve
Down To Earth

Stronger resolve

In the face of climate change, countries make a slew of commitments to ensure conservation of migratory species

time-read
2 mins  |
March 01, 2024
MIND YOUR THOUGHTS
Down To Earth

MIND YOUR THOUGHTS

Technologies with potential to read one’s thoughts have grown tremendously in recent years driven largely by artificial intelligence, a develooment that raises ethical and privacy issues

time-read
5 mins  |
March 01, 2024
Winter Without Snow
Down To Earth

Winter Without Snow

Record-low snowfall in the Himalayas is evidence that climate change is speeding up

time-read
3 mins  |
February 16, 2024
UNDERRATED GREEN
Down To Earth

UNDERRATED GREEN

Kohlrabi is a healthy but little used member of the cabbage family

time-read
3 mins  |
February 16, 2024
Historical hindsight
Down To Earth

Historical hindsight

An encyclopaedic work capturing the breathless changes in Assam’s recent history as well as its struggle for identity and modernity

time-read
6 mins  |
February 16, 2024
Making jugaad a global success
Down To Earth

Making jugaad a global success

Frugal innovation is the new concept that companies are adopting to take technology to developing countries

time-read
4 mins  |
February 16, 2024