MGNREGA work demand dips during peak sowing and harvest time, shows data

MGNREGA data show work demand typically dipped between July and November over the past 10 years before rising from December

A contentious provision of the draft VB-G RaM G Bill, that seeks to replace MGNREGA, is that it permits the state governments to stop the scheme for 60 days of its choice in a financial year covering the peak agricultural sowing and harvesting seasons.  Data sourced from MGNREGA website, shows that in the last few years in any given financial year, demand for work under the scheme typically dipped between July to November before picking up again from December onwards. The drop coincides with peak kharif and rabi sowing seasons for most crops. This may be because MGNREGA wages are typically lower than farm wages.