MGNREGA monthly wages double to ₹1,000 per person amid pandemic: Crisil report
Live MintThe rural distress following the pandemic has seen the average monthly income per person under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 doubling to around ₹1,000 in the first four months of the fiscal from ₹509 in FY2020, according to an analysis by Crisil. The April-July period typically sees around 25% more work execution in terms of person-days under the scheme compared to the rest of the year, thereby aiding rural income. "This fiscal, however, these four months saw a growth of 46% on-year in person-days, coupled with an increase of 12% in average wage under the scheme thanks to the pandemic, which has pushed urban labourers back into their villages," says the report. The scheme has seen higher demand in Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, Odisha and Gujarat, where work allocation has increased more than 50% on-year in the first four months.