MGNREGA and Its Social Impact

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), is considered to be one of the biggest social scheme in post independent India. It's huge in its outlay, coverage and promise. Even, the extent of hope it has generated is enormous. Providing a job guarantee to one person in a family, for 100 days in year, in a country like India, is not small amount of promise. In that sense, this scheme is very ambitious in it's intent and quite big in its form.

Since its inception, it has been under the scanner of policy makers, thinkers, and the common man. No one has taken out their gaze from the scheme. Everyone is discussing about the capacity of the scheme to alleviate the poverty. The mainstream media is talking only about the mis-utilization of funds and showing utmost concern for proper use, but is paying least attention to the social ramification it is manifesting in the hinterland. Even, within the intellectual circles, discussion about its social impact is not so appreciable.

The first social impact of the scheme is- increased dignity of labour. Landlords have now started respecting the labourer. Wages have gone up. Working hours have come down. Other benefits have also been given at work site. This is all because of scarcity of labour that MGNREGA has created.

The second considerable change that can be witnessed is caste function in a society. There is no explicit assertion of caste by wealthy or land holders. As every one is assured of 100 days work with subsidised food, no one is under the mercy of any wealthy man or landlord. Though, this hypothesis of mine is much more exaggerating, but still it has substance.

The long term impact of the scheme is very promising. I think, over period of time, agriculture will become expensive occupation. The current landlords will surely feel the shortage of labour. To survive in the changed scenario, one has to be more innovative, enterprising. Our landlords lack both. Thus, they are forced to sell their lands to those who can provide required inputs. For this, Govt. has to impose tax on holding the land, like Minimum Alternate Tax in draft Direct Tax Code. By which every land holder has to pay some percentage of total value of the land as tax. This makes holding costlier and social equity will happen very fast. I feel this might be the vision of the Govt.

Now the point is when all this is going to be more visible. With, UIDIA or AADHAAR, as it has been called, Govt. is betting heavily upon the technology. If Govt. can achieve what it is, either explicitly or implicitly, contemplating even by half a mark; then its going to be most successful scheme of independent India. Our job is just to watch. Let's do that.