Impact of MGNREGP on livelihood security in Bijapur district of Karnataka: a sam analysis

The MGNREGP (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme) envisages livelihood security by providing manual work to unemployed people in rural areas who voluntarily accept to work for a minimum wage notified by Government during lean periods of the year. To quantify the impact of the programme on livelihood security, present study was undertaken in Markabbinahalli village of Bijapur district of Karnataka during 2012-13 with financial help from ICRISAT, Hyderabad. Both primary and secondary data were collected. Analytical tools, viz., Social Accounting Matrix, t test, z-test and Fisher?s exact probability test were employed to analyze the data. The study found that, additional investment of Rs.10 lakhs in MGNREGP in the study village will have only 1.1 percent impact on the village economy which in terms of labour equivalents implied employment to 18 households at the rate of 340 days per annum at a wage rate of Rs. 300 per worker. Major share of this impact was contributed by indirect impact (84 %) due to operation of multiplier effect of investment in MGNREGP. This impact on labour was weak keeping in view the objective of livelihood security. The study also found that there was no gender and caste bias in terms of gain in employment and income. Impact of MGNREGP on migration of participants was also found to be weak. Natural resource conservation activities were predominant under MGNREGP. Increasing MGNREGP wage rate and taking up asset creation works and/or farm operations on labour wage sharing basis on individual farms could be a policy option

G K Vani, 'Impact of MGNREGP on livelihood security in Bijapur district of Karnataka: a sam analysis', 2015