No guarantee of right to work?
The article examines the impact of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on rural Indian women, highlighting how it provided financial independence and bargaining power. It notes that women have accounted for over 58% of the workforce under the scheme, fundamentally changing their status as laborers.
Why it matters
MGNREGA serves as a critical case study for social security nets and gender-based economic empowerment in developing economies.
Until 2007, Srilakshmi worked in jowar fields in Belagavi’s Athani taluk for ₹40 a day and a ration of two kg of grain. Men alongside her earned ₹65 and the same ration. During lean months when work dried up, she joined nearly 50 others from the taluk migrating over 100 km to Kolhapur in Maharashtra, where they worked for over 60 days, cutting leather into straps and soles and finishing Kolhapuri chappals, earning ₹120 a day with accommodation.
The article focuses on social justice and the positive impact of government welfare programs, which is a common framing in this publication.
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