Abstract

Every individual, communities, nation, civilisation face the process of growth and evolution. Development in common parlance indicates a stage of advancement. Rural development indicates the advancement in rural areas� social, economic and physical advancement and its population. India is a rural area dominated nation, where about two-thirds of the population resides in the village. Despite being the second-largest populated and third-largest economy, India�s rural population is still dependent on agriculture and allied activities. They have been struggling for basic needs for ages, and thus, poverty, hunger, illiteracy, poor health and sanitary condition, unemployment have become their way of life. For the upliftment of rural lives, prosperity, and development, the Government of India has promulgated numerous policies and schemes. After being grilled for a long time for rural India�s development and facing the failure of previous programmes, the Government of India launched Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The programme has become a �silver bullet� for alleviating poverty and unemployment. It has developed a source of income for rural people, eradicating poverty, reducing migration, and making the village sustain by creating a durable asset. It has a positive impact on the income of the rural household, women empowerment, empowerment of socially disadvantaged groups. The chapter will describe the basic features of MGNREGA, its goals, implementing structure. The chapter will also highlight the role of the scheme in the empowerment of the rural workforce of North-East India.

Description