Abstract :
This review deals with the general condition of the rural Indian women and the impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) on the overall empowerment of the rural women. This paper also presents challenges in the way of women participation in MGNREGS and suggestions for making MGNREGS more effective for women. MGNREGS plays a significant role to meet the practical as well as strategic needs of women’s participation. It has become a beacon of light in the empowerment of the rural women and contributed substantially for the increased living and economic conditions by creating equal wages to male and female workers. MGNREGS is for the rural people, including rural women, who are unskilled or semi-skilled. Several provisions, like availability of drinking water, shade, first-aid, crèche at the working site have made this scheme unique. Crèches are helping the rural mothers as they do not have to depend on others at home to take care of the children. Usually, the elder daughter takes on the responsibility of the younger siblings at home when the mother is away for work. This facility has relieved the elder daughters from this duty and they can attend school. This flagship programme of the Government of India has been criticized from several quarters. However, some positive intentions of the ground-level officials and the awareness of the beneficiaries can really bring in a revolution in the lives of Indian rural women.
Keyword :
Empowerment, Women participation, Employment programmes, MGNREGA