Environmental Benefits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA-EB)

OBJECTIVE

The program aims to:

  • maximise the potential of MGNREGS works in positive environmental outcomes such as ground water recharge, soil protection, water and biodiversity conservation, sustainable food production, and mitigation of land degradation
  • build local resilience to the effects of climate change such as moisture stress, delayed onset of rainfall, droughts, and floods

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) aims at enhancing the livelihood security of people in rural India by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to a household whose adult members undertake unskilled manual work as per demand. This is the largest workfare programme in the world, with an annual outlay of INR 340 billion giving work to about 1.7 billion persons.

To explore the intrinsic interlinkages between social protection schemes and natural resource management, the governments of Germany and India are jointly implementing a project. That focuses on maximising the environmental benefits of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS).

The project aims to maximise the potential of MGNREGS works, resulting in positive environmental outcomes such as ground water recharge, soil protection, water and biodiversity conservation, sustainable food production, and mitigation of land degradation. It also builds local resilience to the effects of climate change such as moisture stress, delayed onset of rainfall, droughts, and floods.

COUNTRY

India

DURATION

Apr 2013 - Mar 2018

Commission Agency

BMZ

CONTACT PERSON