MGNREGS And Its Implications on Female Participants in Kerala

This paper makes an empirical study of the socio-economic profile of the women beneficiaries of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), its problems and prospects with reference to the state of Kerala in India. The study uses a sample of 90 women labourers, comprising of 30 each randomly drawn from the three top most performing Grama Panchayaths each of which corresponds to three top most performing Districts in Kerala in respect of MGNREGS activities (viz. Thiruvananthapuram, Palakkad and Alappuzha). Based on the issues and problems as revealed by the study, suggestions are made for more effective implementation of the scheme for faster empowerment of the beneficiaries especially women.