MGNREGA in the times of Covid-19 : A study of its impact in selected villages of North Karnataka

Abstract

The Covid-19 Pandemic has created havoc in the livelihoods of the vulnerable communities. The series of nation-wide lockdown led to a complete shutdown of the economic activities making lives of the laborers in India miserable. The migrant workers took a big hit and they were forced to return to their villages with whatever transport available and some on barefoot during the lockdown. When future was becoming more uncertain, the Government of India (GoI) announced that MGNREGA would be resuming with all Covid appropriate norms. This came as a ray of hope for all laborers in Rural India. Consequently, we saw a sharp increase in the demand for jobs under the scheme showing how reliable MGNREGA was. But, the situation also exposed how unprepared our system was to address several issues of MGNREGA.

This study aims to understand the impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on the lives of laborers in Mugalolli village of Bagalkote district, Kaaluvi taanda and Sogi villages of Vijayanagara district through primary research to understand the ground reality. The study also aims to understand the role played by MGNREGA in their lives after the pandemic hit and the changes they wish to see to make the scheme better.