MGNREGS work demand increases 20% on low August rains, shows data

This does not include the COVID-impacted years of 2020-21 and 2021-22 when work demand for August was higher

Around 19.16 million households sought work under the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in August 2023.

This is 20 per cent more compared to the same month last year as monsoon saw a prolonged break in August 2023 and this added to the existing weakness in the rural job market, said experts.
 

Though, sequentially, August work demand is the lowest since April 2023. However, the number of households that demanded work under the scheme is the highest for August since 2014-15. This does not include the financial years of 2020-21 and 2021-22 during Covid when work demand