A SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY ON SOCIAL EMPOWERMENT OF WORKERS THROUGH MGNREGS IN KARNATAKA

This study explores the sociological role of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in facilitating social empowerment among various social groups in Karnataka. By providing guaranteed wage employment, generating income, alleviating poverty, creating durable assets, promoting social inclusion, and encouraging participation in decision-making processes, the scheme contributes signicantly to the social empowerment of marginalized communities. The research examines how MGNREGS functions as a tool for socially inclusive development, particularly among disadvantaged groups in the state. The study is mainly two objectives: 1) to study the performance and functions of MGNREGS in promoting the social empowerment of workers in Karnataka and 2) to analyze the scheme's impact on employment generation across different social groups in the state. According to the exponential growth model result, employment generated under MGNREGS has grown at an average rate of 4.3% during the study period, and this growth is statistically signicant at the 1% level. The model demonstrates a high goodness-of-t (R² = 34.3%). However, we reject the null hypothesis. Hence, this result implies that MGNREGS has played a signicant role in generating employment among different social groups in Karnataka.