Context:
A recent study has reported a decline in employment generation, workdays and completion of 100 days of work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) during 2025–26. The findings come amid the proposed transition towards the Viksit Bharat–Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) framework.
- Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005 is a rights-based social security legislation that guarantees 100 days of wage employment annually to rural households willing to do unskilled manual work.
- The programme is demand-driven and legally enforceable, making it different from discretionary welfare schemes.
- It aims to enhance livelihood security, reduce rural distress migration, create durable rural assets and strengthen financial inclusion through Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT).
- Gram Panchayats play a central role in planning and implementation, reflecting the principle of decentralised governance under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment.
- Wage employment is linked to works such as water conservation, drought proofing, rural connectivity, irrigation canals and land development.
- MGNREGS acts as an automatic stabiliser during economic distress, especially during droughts, agrarian crises and the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Key issues associated with the scheme include delayed wage payments, inadequate budget allocation, demand suppression, technological exclusion, corruption allegations and interstate disparities in employment generation.
- Note: Recently MGNREGA was repealed and replaced by the Viksit Bharat-Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act, 2025, also known as the VB-G RAM G Act.
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MGNREGS Employment and Rural Livelihoods