Abstract

Objectives: Within India, KBK regions in Odisha are considered to be the most backward regions. MGNREGA, by providing guarantee employment to the rural households, empowers the marginalized through decentralized planning and ensures the livelihood security. Hence the present study attempts to analyze the employability performance of MGNREGA in KBK and Non-KBK regions of Odisha.

Method: To analyze the performance of the scheme in KBK region and Non-KBK of Odisha, a comparative analysis has been done over a period of five years from 2013-14 to 2017-18. The study is mostly based on secondary sources. Most of the data were collected from Ministry of Rural Development, Government of India. For analysis, data collected has been summarized and portrayed in tables and figures. Beside this, mathematical and statistical techniques such as averages, percentages have also been used in the present study.

Findings: The study found that the performance of MGNREGA in terms of 100 days of wage employment, person-days generated, and Schedule Tribe (ST) and women person-days is better in KBK regions than in Non-KBK regions of Odisha. Further total expenditure, total wages, average cost and average wage rate per day person in KBK district is better than Non-KBK district of Odisha. But these regions are lagging behind their Non-KBK counterparts in case of average days of employment provided per household and job cards issued. Thus, though the difference of MGNREGA performance in terms of rural employment generation in KBK and non-KBK is not substantial, but still MGNREGA can serve an important means for eradicating poverty and enhancing the socio-economic condition of the tribal in these regions.

Application: Effective measures should be taken by the Government machinery for more opportunities for work and better implementation of the scheme so that the poor and marginalized especially in the tribal backward regions can join the main stream of the society.

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