+44 330 818 7254Full Length Research Paper - International Research Journal of Arts and Social Sciences ( 2021) Volume 9, Issue 7
The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of "enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work". As well as MGNREGA is to create durable assets such as roads, canals, ponds and wells in different sectors of village economy. Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. Thus in present study an attempt has been made by the researcher to study the impact of MGNREGA on rural lives in village Mahur, Nanded district, State Maharashtra.
MGNREGA, livelihood, development, economy
India is the land of villages and nearly 70 percent of the India’s population lives in rural areas. These rural areas are characterized by various social and economic problems like poverty, illiteracy, low level of income, unemployment, poor food and health standard. So to tackle these problems, various rural development programmes were implemented by the Government of India to improve the quality of rural life.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is considered as most effective approach with an intention to develop the quality of rural life by providing a legal guarantee of one hundred days of wage employment to every rural household to do unskilled manual work.
The government earlier allocated an additional amount of Rs 40000 core under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme. The money has been allocated for the rural employment guarantee scheme to help provide jobs to migrant workers returning home. Finance minister Nirmala sitharaman sated that the allocation for MGNREGA has been increased by Rs. 40000 crore over and above the Rs. 61000 cr budgeted earlier. It is mainly implemented by gram panchayats and does not involve any contractors.
The MGNREGA aims at enhancing livelihood security of the rural poor people by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work. The Act seeks to create durable assets such as road construction, land development, water conservation and irrigation facility, which has considerable influence on different sectors of village economy and strengthen the livelihood resource base of the rural poor people. However, over the last few years there has been an increased demand from States to include new works which would create an even stronger positive co-operation between MGNREGA and agriculture and allied rural livelihoods.
Rural livelihood constitutes the economic, social and cultural universe wherein rural families are bound to make their living. Agriculture farming is still an important activity and it is increasingly considered as basic means of survival. But at the same time MGNREGA brought another beam of hope in securing livelihood for the rural poor people in general and vulnerable section of the rural population in particular.
Objectives of MGNREGA
MGNREGA is a revolutionary step taken by the central Government of India for the rural poor people and is currently the largest self- targeting programme in India. It is an influential instrument for ensuring inclusive growth in rural India through social protection, livelihood security and democratic empowerment. The important objectives of the Act are given below.
1. Its objective is to provide a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed non skilled manual employment ot rural workers every year, so that rural households are able to sustain themselves.
2. Social protection for most vulnerable people living in rural areas through employment opportunities.
3. The core aim of the MGNREGA is to ensure that there is a source of livelihood for the economically weaker section of the population
4. Livelihood security for the poor through creation of durable assets.
5. Strengthening the livelihood and provide resources to the poorThe MGNREGA also aims to proactively include the weaker section of society.
6. Empowerment of weaker section of the society, Women, Scheduled Castes and Schedule Tribes through the processes of a rights-based legislation.
7. Effecting greater transparency and accountability in governance
8. The scheme also aims at strengthening of panchayati Raj establishments across India.
9. Deepening democracy at the grass-roots by strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions
Goals of MGNREGA
1. The goal of MGNREGA is to provide social protection for the most vulnerable people living in rural India by guaranteeing wage employment opportunities.
2. It aims at enhancing the livelihood security of the rural poor through the generation of wage employment opportunities in works leading to the creation of durable assets.
3. The goal of MGNREGA is to rejuvenate the natural resource base of rural areas.
4. MGNREGA aims at crating is to durable and productive rural asset base.
5. To strengthen decentralized, participatory planning through convergence of various ant poverty and livelihood initiatives.
6. It aims at strengthening democracy at the grassroots level by strengthening panchayat Raj Institutions.
Statement of Problem
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) was notified on September 7, 2005. The mandate of the Act is to provide at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year to every rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work However the scheme remained attractive for the rural poor people because of guarantee of wage employment, easy approach, equal work and wages, accountability and transparency. Further MGNREGA ensured various socio-economic benefits to the rural poor people to ease off their sufferings of livelihood and poor standard of living. Moreover agriculture farming is still an important activity and is considered as basic source of survival in the study area. Therefore, the study aims to describe the changes brought by MGNREGA in the lives of rural poor people in the Mahur of Nanded district.
Objectives of the Study
The present study has been undertaken with the following objectives
1. To identify the effect of MGNREGA on livelihood conditions of the respondents.
2. To assess the perception of the respondents regarding the assets creation.
3. To examine the approach and satisfaction of the respondents for work in MGNREGA
Methodology: The study was purposively conducted in Mahur of Nanded district, State Maharashtra.
Sampling Procedure: In the study area there are total 364 registered households under MGNREGA. Out of these registered households, the researcher selected 25 percent of the households i.e. 91 respondents for the purpose of data collection. Further the researcher has randomly selected one job card holder from the selected households as a respondent by applying the random sampling method.
Data analysis and Interpretation
The collected data has been analyzed by coding and tabulating. Simple percentage were applied to analyze the data regarding the changes brought by MGNREGA in the lives of rural poor people with an intention to draw a logical conclusion.
Gender status of the respondents, majority 64.84 percent of the respondents are married and the 35.16 percent of them are Female.
Table-2 indicates the gender wise distribution of registered households under MGNREGA. The table shows that majority 93.68 percent of the respondents are males and remaining 6.32 percent of them are females.
| Gender | No. of the Respondents | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Male | 59 | 64.84 |
| Female | 32 | 35.16 |
| Total | 91 | 100.0 |
| Panchayat | No. of registered house holds | No. of workers registered | Percentage (%) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mahur | 364 | Male | 341 | 93.68 % |
| Female | 23 | 6.32 % | ||
| Total | 364 | (100%) | ||
| Source: Tahasil office Mahur | ||||
It is inferred from table- 3 that out of the total 91 respondents, 84.75 percent male and 62.50 female of the respondents have done hundred days work and 15.25 percent male and 37.50 percent female has not done complete hundred days work.
In respect of gender status, majority 70.92 percent of the respondents has done complete hundred days work and 23.09 percent respondent has not done complete their work. Therefore, it is concluded that there is 25 percent respondents are not interested to complete their MGNREGA work.
| Gender | Hundred days work | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | ||
| Male | 50 (84.75%) | 09 (15.25%) | 59 (100.00%) |
| Female | 20 (62.50%) | 12 (37.50%) | 32 (100.00%) |
| Total | 70 (76.92%) | 21 (23.09%) | 91 (100.00%) |
| Source: Primary data | |||
It is revealed from table- 4 that out of total 91 respondents, 91.21 percent of the respondents have agreed that there is a great place for humanity under MGNREGA. The remaining 0.88 percent of the respondents have disagreed.
| Gender | Great place for humanity | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | ||
| Male | 54 (91.53%) | 05 (8.47%) | 59 (100.00%) |
| Female | 29 (90.64%) | 03 (9.38%) | 32 (100.00%) |
| Total | 83 (91.21%) | 08 (0.88%) | 91 (100.00%) |
| Source: Primary data | |||
Therefore, it is concluded that there is no association between gendef of the respondents and great place for humanity under MGNREGA.
It is revealed from table- 5 that out of the total 01 respondent, 1.10 percent of the respondents have agreed that their livelihood conditions are increased after working under MGNREGA and remaining majority 90.90 percent of the respondents have disagreed.
| Gender | Enhancement in livelihood | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yes | No | ||
| Male | 00 (0.00%) | 59 (100.00) | 59 (100.00%) |
| Female | 01 (3.13%) | 31 (96.88%) | 32 (100.00%) |
| Total | 01(1.10%) | 90 (98.90) | 91 (100.00%) |
| Source: Primary data | |||
Therefore, it is concluded that there is no association between MGNREGA and livelihood. Majority of respondents said does not enhancement in livelihood conditions under MGNREGA.
It is shown from table- 6 that out of total 91 respondents 48.35 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the development of assets under MGNREGA. The rest 16.48 percent and 35.16 percent of the respondents are partially satisfied and unsatisfied with the development of assets under MGNREGA.
| Gender | Satisfaction level | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satisfied | Partially satisfied | unsatisfied | ||
| Male | 29 (49.15%) | 10 (16.95%) | 20 (33.90%) | 59 (100.00%) |
| Female | 15(46.88%) | 5 (15.62%) | 12 (37.5%) | 32 (100.00%) |
| Total | 44 (48.35%) | 15 (16.48%) | 32 (35.16%) | 91 (100.00%) |
| Source: Primary data | ||||
In respect of gender status, majority 49.15 percent of the male respondents are satisfied with the development of assets under MGNREGA respectively. And 16.95 percent of the male respondents is unsatisfied as well as 46.88 percent of the female respondents is satisfied and 37.5 percent of the female is unsatisfied. Therefore, it is concluded that there are 50 percent respondents is not satisfied with development of assets under MGNREGA.
Main Findings
From the analysis of data, the study has found that majority 64.84 percent of the respondents are Male and generally 35.16 percent of the respondents are female.
Main part 91.21 percent of the respondents have agreed that there is great place for humanity under MGNREGA. In view of marital status, majority 76.7 percent of the married respondents have agreed that there is a great place for humanity under MGNREGA. Meanwhile the analysis has proved that there is no association between age, marital status of the respondents and great place for humanity under MGNREGA.
Greater part 93.7 percent of the respondents 98.90 have disagreed that their livelihood conditions un increased under MGNREGA. In view of marital status, majority 83.3 percent of the un-married respondents have agreed that their livelihood conditions increased under MGNREGA.
Further 48.35 percent of the respondents are satisfied with the development of assets under MGNREGA. In respect of marital status, 49.15 percent of the married respondents are satisfied with the development of assets under MGNREGA respectively.
The analysis confirms that in Mahur the participation level of female workers is low. Therefore, it demands major awareness and motivation among the village people to increase the participation level of female workers. In addition, development of assets should be created as per need and demand for the benefit of whole village. Meanwhile the employment opportunity should be provided on time strictly to those, who possesses the job cards.
Further the analysis concludes that Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) brought confident and positive changes in the lives of rural poor people by securing their livelihood through wage employment with an easy approach and asset development. MGNREGA serves as safety value, as it ensures risk factor measures for any personal injury caused by accident of the workers. In this way, there is great place for humanity under MGNREGA since it provides both social and economic security with the risk factor for the workers with good worksite facilities.