Influence of MGNREGA on beneficiaries in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh

Abstract

Rural development is meant for as structural changes in the socio- economic situation to achieve improved living standard of low-income population residing in rural areas. The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) is a flagship poverty alleviation programme under the beneficiary’s oriented programme of rural development of the Government of India, which seeks to guarantee at least 100 days of employment every year to the rural poor. The present study is confined to Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh with a view to study the influence of the programme on beneficiaries. This study concludes that under MNREGA the availability of the work and their further willingness to work under MNREGA and their participation with in the village and outside of the village has attained considerable recognition for additional work. Further, the influence of MNREGA on household productive assets, household income, employment opportunities and consumption expenditure indicates an increasing tendency with minor fluctuations in between with an increase in the size of holdings.