Does MGNREGA Lead to Agrarian Crisis? Evidence from Andhra Pradesh

Authors

  •   Satyanarayana Turangi Ph.D. Research Scholar, School of Economics, University of Hyderabad, Hyderabad, Telangana - 500 046

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.17010/aijer/2017/v6i4/118155

Keywords:

MGNREGA

, Minimum Support Price, Schedule of Rates

J23

, J31, J43

Paper Submission Date

, May 3, 2017, Paper sent back for Revision, July 22, Paper Acceptance Date, August 23, 2017.

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is an ambitious public works programme which was introduced in 2006 to provide a basic safety net for the rural poor. It has already completed 10 years of its journey. This study attempted to draw some lessons from the past 10 years' experiences of MGNREGA implementation. During this journey, MGNREGA influenced the rural economy in different ways, especially, the agriculture sector, in addition to providing employment to the rural poor. So, this study mainly focused on agriculture to understand the effects of MGNREGA. The objective of the study was to analyze reasons for increasing wage rates in the agricultural sector which are influenced by MGNREGA. Increasing agricultural wages are caused by several factors along with MGNREGA. Although it couldn't be completed successfully, it brought some changes in the rural economy through setting up a floor wage rate which ultimately affected the cost of cultivation. In the process of undergoing structural changes in the economy, the MGNREGA was also responsible for agrarian crisis along with several other factors.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Downloads

Published

2017-08-01

How to Cite

Turangi, S. (2017). Does MGNREGA Lead to Agrarian Crisis? Evidence from Andhra Pradesh. Arthshastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 6(4), 23–31. https://doi.org/10.17010/aijer/2017/v6i4/118155

Issue

Volume 6, Issue 4, July-August 2017

Section

Labour Economics
Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

References

Ambasta, P., Shankar, P.S. V., & Shah, M. (2008). Two years of NREGA: The road ahead. Economic and Political Weekly, 43 (8), 41-50.

Berge, E., Bhattacharya, S., Durgam, R., & Ramachandra, M. (2012). Can rural public works affect agricultural wages? Evidence from India (WPS/2012-05). Centre for the Study of African Economics. Retrieved from: http://conference.iza.org/conference_files/worldb2012/bhattacharyya_s8177.pdf

Census of India. (2011). Primary census abstract. Department of Census Operations, Government of India, New Delhi.

Dev, S. M. (2006). Policies and programmes for employment. Economic and Political Weekly, 41(16), 1511 - 1516.

Dogra, B. (2005). Rural employment schemes: Rhetoric and reality. Economic and Political Weekly, 40 (18), 1809-1810.

Government of Andhra Pradesh. (n.d.). MGNREGA at a glance. Department of Rural Development, Hyderabad. Retrieved from http://www.nrega.ap.gov.in/Nregs/FrontServlet?requestType=NewReportsRH&actionVal=Display&page=Newreportcenter_ajax_eng#

Hirway, I. (2010). NREGA after four years: Building on experiences to move ahead. Indian Journal of Labour Economics, 53 (1), 113 -135.

Kanda, M., Rao, M. V., Reddy, K. P., Rao, R. S., Muralidhar, C., & Rani. V. U. (2011). Report of State level Committee to study the problems of farmers in crop holiday affected mandals of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. Hyderabad : Government of Andhra Pradesh.

Mathur, L. (2007). Employment guarantee: Progress so far. Economic and Political Weekly, 42 (52), 17 - 20.

Ministry of Rural Development. (2012). MGNREGA Sameeksha : An anthology of research studies on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (2006 - 2012). New Delhi : Government of India.

Ministry of Rural Development. (2014). Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 : Report to the people. New Delhi : Government of India.

National Advisory Council. (2004). Financial implications of an employment guarantee act preliminary estimates. New Delhi : Government of India.

Nayak, N., & Khera, R. (2009). Women workers and perceptions of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act. Economic and Political Weekly, 44 (43), 49 - 57.

Papola, T. S. (2005). A universal programme is feasible. Economic and Political Weekly, 40(7), 594 - 599.

Ramakrishna, V. V. S., & Ramana, T.V. (2014). Pattern of cultivation and crop holiday conditions in the delta region of Andhra Pradesh. Arthshastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 3 (1), 23 - 30. doi: 10.17010/aijer/2014/v3i1/55932

Rao, G. G. (2014). MGNREGA and changes in rural employment trends, wage structure, and rural-urban migration. Arthshastra Indian Journal of Economics & Research, 3(5), 7-19. doi:10.17010/aijer/2014/v3i5/55991

Reddy, D. N., Reddy, A. A., & Bantilan, M. C. S. (2014). The impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on rural labor markets and agriculture. India Review, 13 (3), 251 - 273. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14736489.2014.937271

Samji, S., & Aiyar, Y. (2008). Improving the effectiveness of rural employment guarantee act. Economic and Political Weekly, 41(4), 320 - 326.

Shah, M. (2004). National Rural Employment Guarantee Act: A historic opportunity. Economic and Political Weekly, 39 (50), 5287 - 5291.

Shariff, A. (2009). Assessment of outreach and benfits of national rural employment guarantee scheme of India. Economic and Political Weekly, 52 (2), 243 - 269.

Turangi, S. (2015). Crop holiday versus employment guarantee: An Indian experience of Godavari delta region. Asian Economic Review, 57 (3), 99 - 109.