International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research ISSN: 2455-2070; Impact Factor: RJIF 5.22 Received: 22-09-2019; Accepted: 24-10-2019 www.socialsciencejournal.in Volume 5; Issue 6; November 2019; Page No. 103-113 Performance on work completion under MGNREGS: District-wise analysis of Gujarat Sheth Zulfiqar Mohmad Yusuf1, Syed Noman Ahmed2 1-2 Department of Economics, Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India Abstract To enhance rural livelihood security and achieve inclusive growth, Government of India has opted for a right’s based and guaranteed wage employment program intervention. Accordingly, the Indian Parliament has passed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005, which came into force in February 2006. The Right to Work or the MGNREGA in a short span of ten years generated 170.6 crores person-days of employment benefitting 12.22crores workers from which more than half were women. In Gujarat, the implementation of MGNREGA started from February 2006 in 6 districts and gradually covered whole State. As a statutory law, it holds the government accountable for providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage employment in every financial year to every household in rural areas of India. Another important component of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is to create sustainable local assets related to natural resource management, environment protection, enhancing rural connectivity and land development and water related works. 4.6 crores assets all India level has been created so far and 9.5 lakhs assets created in Gujarat. This study aimed to investigate work completion rates of projects under taken by each districts of the Gujarat state and to explore its’s relationship with the person-days generated under the Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. Study finds alarming steady falling rate of work completion rate despite increasing trend of work demand and person-days generated in the same span of time. Keywords: MGNREGA, Employment, Assets creation, Rural Livelihood, participative development, distributional concern, Gujarat, Rural Development 1. Introduction amendments made, from time to time, to the Act and its Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Scheme or Schedules. (Circular, 2019-20) [6]. often referred as Act (MGNREGS / MGNREGA) is perhaps Under the Act, every rural household whose’ adult member the largest and most ambitious social security and public is ready to take up unskilled manual job has legal right to works Programme in the world. (Shah, 2012) [20]. The Act demand 100 days of employment during the financial year was notified on September, 7th 2005 and implementation within a radius of five kilometers of the village where the began in February, 2nd 2006. The Act notified on applicant resides at the time of applying. September, 7th 2005, and implementation began in Para 1, Schedule II of the Act stipulates: “The adult member February, 2nd 2006. The words’ Mahatma Gandhi’ was of every household residing in any rural area and willing to prefixed to the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act do unskilled manual work may submit their names, age and as an amendment. MGNREGS implemented in three phases the address of the household to the Gram Panchayat at the covering a total of 625 districts of the country. (ACT M.). village level in whose jurisdiction of which they reside for Following table shows coverage and districts notification in registration of their household for issuance of a job card.” phase wise (ACT N, 2005) [2, 3] Till September 2019, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has Table 1: Phase wise coverage of districts under MGNREGS 12.22crores active workers and benefitted 4.43 crores rural Phase I II III Total households. The scheme has generated 170.6 crores person- No. of Districts Notified 130 200 295 625 days and created 4.68 crores assets; out of it 1.63 crores are individual category works. The scheme is increasingly The Phase I started with effect from February 2006. In a relying on direct benefits transfer and real time data financial year 2007-08, Phase II became operative and phase management system. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has a III covering all remaining districts notified with effect from positive impact on labour force participation, and this April 2008. Barring exception to the entire urban districts, impact is driven by a significant impact on the female [13] Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is fully operative in the country labour force participation (Mehtabu, 2012) . Capacity of since April 1st 2008. All the states have notified their women to earn independently through the Mahatma Gandhi respective Mahatma Gandhi NREGS Schemes, as per the NREGS has increased their say in household affairs. requirement of the Act. The Scheme formulated by the State Women were found to be more assertive, and their voices [21] Government, stipulated to provide for the minimum features are now being heard more often (Tankha, 2009) . [11] specified in Schedule I of the Act. Persons employed under However, as (Govind, 2009) noted the large number of any State Scheme made under the Act shall be entitled to women workers under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS has minimum facilities listed in Schedule II of the Act. The minimal rights to productive assets, and this contributes to a Schemes prepared by the state should be consistent with the persistence of social exclusion on a large scale. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS also reported to have positive 103 International Journal of Humanities and Social Science Research effects on spending, health outcomes and children’s 50.24% rural population back in 2001. education. The income from Mahatma Gandhi NREGS made very significant contribution to children’s well-being While Mahatma Gandhi NREGS notified districts back in such as reducing hunger, improving health and education. 2012, Gujarat had only 26 districts, but in 2013, seven (Dev S, 2011) [7]. The workers are able to spend districts were carved out from the existing districts, and at considerable amount on the education and health of their present, it has a total of 33 districts, 248 blocks, and 18225 children. (Nair, 2009) [18]. Increase in income has resulted in villages. Gujarat has implemented Mahatma Gandhi increase in power to purchase food grains, other essential NREGS in three phases in the following manner. commodities, and to access education and health care. (MORD, 2010) [15] Districts in Phase I Districts in Phase II Districts in Phase III One of the main purposes of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS Kheda is to provide employment in the agricultural lean season Patan when agricultural work is limited, the lean season will affect Amreli all the people employed in farm and off-farm related Mehsana [22] Surendra Nagar activities. (Tina, 2011) As per act it is well designed Anand Banaskanthan right based framework and for this very reason the Scheme Junagdh Dang becomes distinct to the previous employment generation and Valsad Kachchh Dohad rural livelihood security schemes. The total employment Bharuch Gandhinagar Narmada generated under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is clearly much Navsari Bhavnagar Panch Mahals Jamnagar larger than earlier employment programmes such as SGRY Sabarkanthan and NFFWP (Kievetskroon Pretoria, 2008) [12] and the Vadodara number of person days generated per year among the Porbandar Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is better compared to the earlier Rajkot [17] Surat programmes. (Naganagoud. S.P., 2010) The scheme also Ahmedabad contributed in creating sustainable assets. There has also Tapi been an increase in village infrastructure as a result of 06 03 17 Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, which has in turn led to Seven new districts added and brought under coverage of Mgnrega increased agricultural productivity. (Chowdhury, 2011) [5] on 15th August 2013. 1. Aravalli was carved out from Sabarkantha. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in Gujarat 2. Botad was carved out from parts of Ahmedabad and Bhavanagar districts. 3. Chhota Udaipur rivens from Vadodara District. 4. Devbhoomi Dwarka emerges from parts of Jamnagar district. 5. Mahisagar emerges from parts of Kheda and Panchmahal. 6. Morbi emerges from parts of Rajkot, Surendranagar, and Jamnagar districts. 7. Gir-Somnath splits from Junagadh Source: (Districts_notified, 2008) Since the inception of the scheme, there are 39.03 lakhs of Job Cards (JCs) issued and 87.76 unique workers are registered out of it 39.8% of JCs and 30% of total workers are active. Works under Mahatma Gandhi NREGS The review of employment generation programs reveals that historically, India has implemented programs that are temporary and less sustainable. Generally, rural employment programs used to include work only aimed to provide relief from a situation in the wake of natural Fig 1: Gujarat (red filled) on Indian map. Location coordinates calamities. Mahatma Gandhi NREGS is the first rural 23°13′N 72°41′E livelihood program that goes beyond such thinking. On the contrary to previous employment generation and poverty The Indian state, Gujarat, is located near the Arabian Sea on eradication program, Mahatma Gandhi NREGS focuses on the western coast of the country has a total area of 75,685 the sustainable asset creation and engage with the work that square miles accounting for roughly 6.19% of the total area reduces the vulnerability of rural people at the time of of the country, and it is 5th largest state in terms of area. natural calamities lie drought, irregular monsoon or flood. (Directorate of Economics and Statistics, 2015) [8] Schedule I of the Mahatma Gandhi NREGS Act under According to the census 2011, Gujarat has a sizeable Paragraph 4(1) laydowns provisions for the following works population of 60,383,628 (Census, 2011) which makes under MGNREGS. (ACT N. 2005) [2, 3] Gujarat the 10th largest state in terms of population. 57.40% of the total population reported as rural residents (PCA- A) Category I Final, 2011) [19].