PUBLIC POLICY ON THE GROUND: MGNREGA’S EFFECT ON MARGINALIZED COMMUNITIES IN TRIBAL DISTRICT KINNAUR, HIMACHAL PRADESH

The paper discusses the social economic implications of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on the marginalized communities in the Kinnaur district of Himachal Pradesh and specifically on Scheduled Castes (SCs), Scheduled Tribes (STs), and women regarding socio-economic dimensions. Based on primary survey information of 200 households and secondary information of the government, the analysis points out that MGNREGA has been able to create jobs, improve household income, decrease distress migration, and empower girls and women. Findings indicate that over fifty percent of the overall participants are women, that SC and ST households are even more abundant in Kinnaur than they are state and nationwide, which indicates that the scheme is in compliance with its equity-oriented mandate. Chi-square tests verify statistically significant increases in work availability, income, gender participation, and a decrease in migration but the results on asset creation are less strong. In sum, the results indicate that as much as MGNREGA has been effective in the short run in livelihood security and uplifting vulnerable communities, there is a need to reinforce long-term asset development and fair distribution of the working days to realize sustainable development in tribal regions.