♦ According to a data analysis by LibTech India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) workforce was reduced by 7.5% to 14.33 crore in April-September 2023. In the previous fiscal year (2022-23) the MGNREGS workforce stood at 15.49 crores. 

♦ It also reveals that, a 9% increase in person-days, indicating a rise in the demand for work under MGNREGS. In 2022-23, 172.24 crore person-days were generated from April to September, while in 2023-24, 188 crore person-days were generated.

♦ Six States experienced a decline, with West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh showing notable drops. West Bengal saw a 99.5% decline due to the suspension of the scheme by the Union government over corruption allegations. Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Tamil Nadu witnessed the highest increases in employment opportunities under MGNREGS.

MGNREGS History:

♦ The Government of India passed the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 in September, 2005. 

♦ The Act gives legal guarantee of a hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to adult members of a rural household who demand employment and are willing to do unskilled manual work. 

♦ The objective of the Act is to enhance the livelihood security of the people in the rural areas by generating wage employment through works that develop the infrastructure base of that area.