Providing social security through public expenditure: An evidendce from India’s largest employment guarantee programme

TThe present study examines the social security and inclusiveness aspects of MGNREGA (India's largest employment guarantee programme). The situation of north-eastern states is also studied here. The results indicate that during the period, the rank correlation between share of rural households having job card and the percentage of BPL population in different states are positive. In six north-eastern states (Mizoram, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Sikkim and Tripura) share of rural household having job card is more than 62 percent which is higher than all other states. In Bihar, Gujarat, Haryana, Maharashtra and Punjab share of rural household having job card is very low (less than 11 percent). For India as a whole share of rural household having job card is less than 28 percent in the year 2014?15. The states which have done exceptionally well in distributing the benefits of MGNREGS in favour of women are Andhra Pradesh, Goa, Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Sikkim and Tripura. Different caste people get job card under the programme which means all groups of people getting chance to work under the programme, which indeed a well appreciated trend. The states which are failed to provide social security and include people under MGNREGS; there is scope for achieving higher output levels through better management of the programme.