66% year-on-year spike in household demand for MGNREGA work in August

This, despite a 24% month-on-month drop, indicating scheme's continuing importance in providing livelihood to rural casual labourers during Covid-19 crisis

Demand for MGNREGA work has dropped by almost 24 per cent in August 2020 as compared to the previous month, maintaining a trend that started in July, as labourers begin sowing operations while some who migrated from cities return to their original work places. 

Despite the drop, however, around 24.2 million households have demanded work under the scheme in August 2020 as per MGNREGA website accessed on September 2 which is a staggering 66 per cent more than the same month in 2019 and the highest in last seven years for August.

This clearly shows the scheme's continuing importance in providing much needed livelihood to casual labourers in rural India during the Covid-19 crisis. MGNREGA also provides rural laIndia with a vital safety, the  absence of which could push labourers into distress and penury, something which data on the latest farm and farm labourers suicides reflects.