Impact of MGNREGA on Tribal Migration in Sarenga Development Block

Abstract

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme is one of the most important and largest public programme in India.  The main objective of this programme is to provide 100 days of assured employment to rural household and to create sustainable asset. In this paper we have studied the secondary objective of MGNREGA that is to reduce migration and creation of sustainable asset in light of tribal perspective.  In this paper we work in migration data for July 2007 to June 2008 NSSO & Census of India, 2011 data. By our analysis we find that Migration is a complex process, it is not always done due to poverty and desperate situation, but complex factors (facilities, education). People especially tribals are migrating due to lack of adequate agricultural land, inadequate agricultural production, less irrigation facilities, and acute water scarcity and stringent enforcement of Forest Laws before implantation of Forest Act. At the macro level analysis, correlation between migration and MGNREGA is very weak. From the literature as well as supported by the micro-assessment, MGNREGA is helping poor and weaker section of the community by providing employment at critical period of a year (seasonal migration). In principal, MGNREGA can help to reduce temporary migration but is ineffective in long period, when several factors would change together.