Mgnrega in Meghalaya—A People's Programme

Published date01 July 2016
DOI10.1177/0019556120160327
Date01 July 2016
AuthorI.R. Sangma
Subject MatterArticle
NOTE
MGNREGA IN
MEGHALAYA-A
PEOPLE'S
PROGRAMME
I.R.
SANGMA
INDIA HAS initiated massive economic development and safety net
programmes over the past two decades.
It
has, for example, moved from
universal food subsidies to targeted food subsidies and back again to a
near-universal programme. Some programmes have been able to target
beneficiaries more easily, for example, conditional cash transfers for hospital
delivery. And others have been ambitious in their design, scale and reach, as
for example, the rural safety net provided by the Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA
),
a nationwide rural public
works programme and works on the principle
of
self-selection (workers
have access to 100 days
of
public employment a year when they choose).
Wage employment programmes have been initiated since the First
Five-Year Plan with the intention to provide a safety net for people who are
marginalised and poverty-stricken due to lack
of
livelihood opportunities.
Much has been said and read about the MGNREGA because
of
the quantum
of
investment that the government is putting into the programme. Rs. 35,000
crore per annum is no small amount -it is about one per cent
of
GDP.
The main objective
of
the MGNREGA is to enhance the livelihood
security
of
people in rural areas by providing guaranteed I 00 days
of
wage employment to rural households whose adult members are willing to
do unskilled manual work, through creation
of
durable assets that would
promote sustainable livelihoods.
The delivery mechanism is the critical factor that would ensure a smooth
implementation
of
the MGNREGA in Meghalaya.
Launch
of
the Programme
The Act enacted in 2005, country launched
it
in
February 2006.
It was launched
in
Meghalaya
in
April 2006 due to the pendency
of
Parliamentary Election and actual implementation took place
towards the end
of
the 2006-07.
MGNREGA was implemented in three phases.

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