Application of Remote Sensing in Assessing the Impacts of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), in Ratlam District, Madhya Pradesh, India

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, (MGNREGA) is the first ever demand-driven livelihood act that guarantees 100 days of employment in every rural household. It also aims to achieve sustainable livelihood by addressing the causes of chronic poverty as well as strengthening of the natural resource base. The assets created under the MGNREGA related to water and soil conservation and management have contributed to an increased availability of water for sustainable agriculture especially in the semi-arid and arid regions. Dug well at the farmer’s land, locally known as Kapil Dhara, is one of the highly demanded assets created under the MGNREGA in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Dug wells have benefitted the rural population in form of increased irrigated area, crop productivity, and cropping intensity. An integrated approach based on remote sensing (RS) and field survey was used to assess the impact of dug wells toward change in cropped area and cropping intensity. Six sampling units representing one/two micro-watershed has been randomly selected for in-depth study. Interpretation of RS data has shown that there has been an increase in double crop area after the MGNREGA intervention in five selected sampling units spread in two blocks of the Ratlam district. Watershed with diverse water recharge activities recorded comparatively higher impact of dug wells as compared to watershed that had lesser associated water recharge activities. The analysis further revealed that application of RS and watershed approach in planning can enhance sustainability of assets created under the MGNREGA.