MGNREGA should be scrapped?

After implementing Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) , there is modest increase in agricultural workers’ wages. This led to increase in input cost of agriculture. Farmers, mainly land lords who holds many acres, opposing the scheme during monsoon season. But this scheme has become a life line of the poor, stopped the migration of workers and given an opportunity to send their children to school. I feel there is no need to stop the scheme during monsoon for following reasons:

• Increase in wages is considered in calculating minimum supporting price – it’s the price at which government buys the produce from farmers. Moreover, the increase in wages is little compared to increase in other inputs cost. Diesel contributes 10 per cent of input cost. In the past 2 or 3 years, prices of diesel are increased by more than 100 per cent.

• If wages are increased,  it should be appreciated. Agriculture workers are usually poor and landless. This increase in wages increases their purchasing power.

• The scheme has empowered the women at the bottom by giving equal wages for both men and women. Women’ wages play huge role in poor families. Generally, in agriculture work, women get 20 – 30 per cent lower wages than men. Due to the scheme women getting equal wages in agriculture related work also. 

• In fact, this scheme can be used to rejuvenate the canals and other bodies like tanks, wells etc. Improved irrigation facilities will increase the productivity so the input cost can be recovered.