MGNREGA
It is a rural employment program started by the government of India.
It was started in 2005, covered 200 districts in 2006, and by 2008 it covered all villages.
It was initially named as National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, then it was changed to Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.
It is hailed as the largest social security and public works program in the world.
Its objective is to provide at least 100 days of paid employment to a rural adult in each household.
And it is completely implemented by gram panchayaths, no contractors are used.
Every applicant who volunteers for the program should be given a job within 5 km of his house.
The applicant will work on creating durable assets such as roads, canals, ponds...
If work is not provided within 15 days of applying then he/she is entitled to an unemployment allowance.
Maharashtra under former Chief Minister Vasantrao Naik was the first to start such a scheme in 1970.
It was later taken up by the planning commission and made a national wide program.
The present Act is an integration of several such programs like the Employment Assurance Scheme from the 1970s'.
But corruption and politics have have dimmed it's magnificence, in 2014-15, only 28% of the payments were made on time.
But its largely a success story, that has raised minimal wages, started 12 crore jobs, and completed 14.6 million projects.
Apart from providing economic security and creating rural assets, it has helped in protecting the environment and empowering women.
World Bank called MGNREGA a "stellar example of rural development", and we agree wholeheartedly.
