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 9,000+ 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 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM DOWN TO EARTHView All
In leading role again
Down To Earth

In leading role again

MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE

time-read
5 mins  |
December 16, 2024
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
Down To Earth

One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost

As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Return of Rambhog
Down To Earth

Return of Rambhog

Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Scarred by mining
Down To Earth

Scarred by mining

Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining

time-read
5 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
Down To Earth

Human-to-human spread a mutation away

CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.

time-read
1 min  |
December 16, 2024
True rehabilitation
Down To Earth

True rehabilitation

Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16, 2024
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Down To Earth

INESCAPABLE THREAT

Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 16, 2024
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Down To Earth

THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO

Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face

time-read
8 mins  |
December 16, 2024
A JOKE, INDEED
Down To Earth

A JOKE, INDEED

A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 01, 2024
THINGS FALL APART
Down To Earth

THINGS FALL APART

THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE

time-read
4 mins  |
December 01, 2024