Role of MGNREGA on Women Empowerment: A Socio-economic Study in Medinipur District, West Bengal

Abstract

One of the most pressing concerns on a global scale is getting more power into the hands of women. In India, there is an illustrious history of realising the significance of giving women more agency over the course of several centuries. One of the primary goals of India's 9th Five Year Plan is to advance women's rights, which the Indian government has declared a priority. The process of enabling women to realise their identities, individualities, and strengths throughout all aspects of life is referred to as empowering women. The government has developed a number of different plans and programmes in the hope of rescuing more women from impoverishment and the dangers of everyday life. The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), which was passed into law in 2005, is an example of one of these programmes. The MGNREGA is an extremely important institution that helps fulfil both the tactical and the strategic requirements for women's participation. It has been a ray of hope for rural women's empowerment and contributed significantly to the improved living standards and economic situations by establishing equal remuneration for male and female workers. Additionally, it has become a glimmer of hope for rural women's empowerment. In the current study, an attempt was made to investigate women's empowerment in a hamlet located in the Paschim Medinipur District of West Bengal by using the MGNERGA programme.