Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) and Tribal Livelihoods: A Case Study in Sundargarh District of Odisha

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is considered as a “Silver Bullet” for eradicating rural poverty and unemployment, by way of generating demand for productive labour force in villages. It provides an alternative source of livelihood which will have an impact on reducing migration, restricting child labor, alleviating poverty, and making villages self sustaining through productive assets creation such as road construction, cleaning up of water tanks, soil and water conservation work, etc. For which it has been considered as the largest anti-poverty programme in the world. But the success of this Act depends upon its proper implementation. Thus, the present study attempts to critically examine the implementation process of this programme and its impact on tribal livelihoods i.e. to what extent MGNREGS has given justice in sustaining the livelihoods of poor tribal communities in a tribal dominated panchayat of Sundargarh district, Odisha. The study reveals that there is little impact of MGNREGA on tribal livelihoods. The faulty implementation strategy has ruined the spirit of this programme. Religion and street biasness and favoritism in case of distribution of job card, dominance of dominant families, defective leadership and improper coordination among the stakeholders have stood as major hurdles in this programme.