Rural India needs jobs. With most private sector employment concentrated in semi-urban and urban areas, most often, livelihood opportunities in rural India are limited. One of the most critical schemes towards solving this problem has been the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act/Scheme (MGNREGA/S).

Under this scheme, a MGNREGA job card is issued to those looking for employment in rural areas. Once the card is issued, the individual files for work demand at the Gram Panchayat level and receives paid work within 15 days, depending on the various projects happening at the village level. A minimum wage is guaranteed which varies by state.

Haqdarshak has been able to provide its support services for submitting 11855 applications for various MGREGA related proves—be it job cards or work demand. Of these, we have ensured that 7081 have received the benefit. Over Rs.12 crore worth of benefits have been unlocked through this scheme.

Take for instance the story of Narasimhareddy, a farmer who belongs to the drought prone Nagenahalli village in Karnataka. Low rainfall hampered his agricultural produce in turn bringing down the income. Further, COVID-19 lockdowns posed massive challenges for him when he sought out a loan to sustain. We provided our support services to him and his family to apply for the MGNREGA Job card by which they have received work to build an agricultural pond. Narasimhareddy and his family have already earned 11,550 INR for 14 days of work.

Like him, many others have found work by availing our service. In the tribal areas of the Talasari block—considered one of the most poverty-stricken and backward areas in the country—our Haqdarshaks enabled 300 MNGREGA work demand applications, as citizens had no idea who to approach for work.

Watch this video to learn more about how we work for implementing MGNREGA.