EMPOWERMENT OF RURAL WOMEN THROUGH MGNREGA-A STUDY OF MGNREGA IMPLEMENTATION IN BARPETA DEVELOPMENT BLOCK OF BARPETA DISTRICT OF ASSAM

Abstract

Gender is the inevitable push factor for growth and development of a nation like India. Though women have been contributing to eco-nomic productivity since the dawn of human history, their role has been visualised as a passive one. Moreover it is observed that women are often experienced the situation of extreme poverty which are further aggravated by household and social discrimination. Women empowerment specially economic empowerment is the only way by which it can be possible to give equal status to women in a male dominated society. To be empowered, women should come forward and realise that they are not second grade citizen of the socie-ty and at the same time also equally capable with men in all aspects of livelihood. Their empowerment has a great potential in leading the country to spectacular development. The achievement of inclusive growth and overall development is highly dependent on the gender equality and prosperity of women in the rural society. The eleventh five year plan marks a significant departure from the con-ventional way of looking at women in plan document. It tries to mark the centrality of women in all sectors. It explicitly recognises that women are not just equal citizens but agents of economic and social growth. A major initiative taken by the Government of India to raise the level of socio-economic status of the rural people under the Ministry of Rural Development is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The implementation of MGNREGA has been positively affecting the rural life as well as empowering the women of India in various aspects. This paper will mainly focus on the impact of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Em-ployment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) on the empowerment of women in the five gaon panchayats of Barpeta Development Block of Barpeta district of Assam. It also focus on the prospects and problems of women empowerment through MGNREGA and will try to provide some recommendations to overcome the shortcomings.