The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
(MGNREGA) is a pivotal welfare program in India, designed to ensure 100 days of
guaranteed wage employment for rural households. The objectives of the act are
to provide safety nets for vulnerable groups, provide an engine for the
agricultural sustainable development, empower the rural poor and promote new
ways of doing businesses by providing work for unskilled workers at the wage
rate specified by the Central Government. For tribal communities like the
Santhals of Pakur district (Jharkhand), MGNREGA has the potential to function
as both a safety net and a catalyst for livelihood security. The study aims to
find out the extent of participation of MGNREGA among Santhal households in
Pakur. This study assesses the influence of MGNREGA on income, migration, and
household consumption within Santhal households in Pakur district. Primary data
were gathered utilising a stratified random sampling method to guarantee
representation among the socio-economic strata of Santhal households. The
survey encompassed 150 households, with 25 households chosen from each of six
blocks—Pakuria, Maheshpur, Pakur, Amrapara, Littipara, and
Hiranpur—establishing a solid foundation for evaluating the program's impact on
the community. The data were examined through descriptive statistics and the
Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test methodologies after testing the data for normality.
The results indicate a statistically significant upward shift in income
categories and a reduction in reported seasonal migration following
participation in MGNREGA. MGNREGA participation contributed to improved
economic well-being, as evidenced by consumption trends, with most households
reporting heightened consumption, signifying better access to food and essential
goods. The research concludes that MGNREGA has favourably impacted the
socio-economic status of Santhal households. The research highlights the
necessity for MGNREGA to focus on the development of productive community
assets, including irrigation facilities, land development structures, and water
harvesting systems, to improve the livelihood resilience of tribal households.
It advocates for enhancing execution to achieve more comprehensive livelihood
advancements.
Author(s) Details
Amar Kumar Chaudhary
Department of Commerce and Business Management, Ranchi University, India.
Shashi Shekhar Murmu
Department of Commerce and Business Management, Ranchi University, India.
Please see the book here :- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/ebmra/v1/6964
