Opinion MGNREGA gave women freedom. New law may not
Without guaranteed work for 60 days during peak agricultural seasons, a vast majority of rural women will be compelled to take up informal work that provides no assurance of availability, proximity, or wage parity.
The shrinking and conditional job availability under the revamped scheme is likely to make it more challenging for rural women to find wage work. The Viksit Bharat Guarantee for Rozgar and Ajeevika Mission (Gramin) Act (VB-G RAM G) comes with the promise of increased welfare with 125 days of guaranteed work instead of the 100 days under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The new law may well adversely affect more than 26 crore workers by effectively eliminating the “work guarantee”. The shrinking and conditional job availability under the revamped scheme is likely to make it more challenging for rural women to find wage work.
Over the past several years, concerns have been expressed by academics and practitioners over the low female labour force participation (FLFPR) in India. The recent rise in FLFPR is due to increased participation in unpaid work in family farms and/or non-agricultural enterprises. In such a situation, the high share of women in work generated under MGNREGA is heartening. Despite changes in government and a pandemic, the share of women in total person-days increased from 48 per cent in 2008-09 to 57.94 per cent in 2024-25. This shows that since its inception, MGNREGA has been a critical source of employment for women. The respectability associated with government jobs and the availability of crèches encourage women. Additionally, women prefer workplaces that are closer to their residence as it reduces their commute time and cost, allowing them to manage domestic tasks. Along with high participation, legally mandated equalisation of wages and a revised wage payment system reduced women workers’ financial dependence on male family members.
Adherence to patriarchal practices has relegated women to a secondary source of labour. They are expected to work only when their wages are necessary to complement household incomes. This perception of women may explain why they are the first to be excluded from MGNREGA work in areas with excess worker supply. The looming possibility of less guaranteed work under VB-G RAM G may reinforce the existing gender hierarchies.
A vast majority of women workers, specifically those belonging to marginalised communities, in rural areas, are engaged in agricultural labour. Without guaranteed work for 60 days during peak agricultural seasons, they will be compelled to take up informal work that provides no assurance of availability, proximity, or wage parity. Reduced availability of work and weaker bargaining power over wages (because of the lack of a fall-back option) will increase women’s dependence on landowning caste-class communities for employment, often in poorer conditions.
Every policy is required to undergo monitoring and evaluation and make the requisite corrections to achieve greater efficiency and effectiveness. Despite its limitations, the MGNREGA played a significant role in generating demand-driven employment. However, the Centre did not consult MGNREGA workers and other stakeholders before passing the VB-G RAM G Bill. Instead of addressing the faultlines in implementation, the government has put at risk a programme that promised to provide guaranteed employment when markets failed to do so.
Guha is a PhD scholar at the Centre for Development Studies, Kerala, and Mukherjee is a research associate at the Madras Institute of Development Studies
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