‘Declining Central allocation for MGNREGS affects rural women’ , Pg8

Key Highlights:

• Activists of the NREGA Sangharsh Morcha highlighted the correlation between declining Central allocation for MGNREGS and reduced income for rural women at a press conference in Delhi.
• Women constitute over 50% of the workforce for MGNREGS projects.
• This year, 56% of the total person-days under MGNREGS were completed by women.
• NREGA Sangharsh Morcha marks the 20th anniversary of the governing law.

Detailed Insights:

• Prior to MGNREGS, women were paid significantly less than men for similar work; the scheme provided equal pay, but budget constraints are reversing this progress.
• Reduced funding for MGNREGS leads to work unavailability, pushing rural women back to pre-2006 conditions of economic disparity.
• The MGNREGS aims to enhance livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Key Concepts Involved:

• MGNREGS: Aims to provide 100 days of wage employment to rural households.
• Person-days: Total number of work days completed by individuals registered under MGNREGS in a financial year.