Are Public Works Programmes Participatory and Demand-Based? Evidence from Karnataka
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.25175/jrd/2024/v43/i2/173501Keywords:
MGNREGS, Good Governance, Karnataka.Abstract
Participation is an important principle of good governance of the development programmes within decentralised governance. This paper examines the extent of participation of people in Mahatma Gandhi NREGS, one of India’s largest public works programmes. By using the secondary data for the nine-year period ending in 2022-23, the paper analysed the extent of people’s demand for Mahatma Gandhi NREGS and their participation in the programme in Karnataka. The paper finds that Karnataka’s performance has been satisfactory. It has been found that there has been an increase in demand as well as participation in Mahatma Gandhi NREGS in the last nine years, especially during the COVID years. However, the extent of participation and the income earned from the programme may not necessarily be sufficient to uplift the ultra-poor households above the poverty line. Delays in the wage payment have had an adverse impact on workers’ participation in the programme.
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