Sharp fall in MGNREGS workers in Kerala

The after effects of the COVID-19-induced lockdown are also being reflected in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) work sites with a drastic fall in the number of w

The after effects of the COVID-19-induced lockdown are also being reflected in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) work sites with a drastic fall in the number of workers over the past few weeks. Though there is a comparative reduction in the number of workers in the initial months of the financial year, the current fall is also due to the pandemic-related fears as well as the lockdown. Along with restrictions in other sectors, the State Government had imposed restrictions on the number of workers allowed per work site, to ensure physical distancing norms. Only a maximum of five workers are now allowed to come together at a worksite. “Over the past week, the average number of workers per day in the state is around 13,000. During the peak seasons, the average daily attendance goes up to 4 lakhs, while in the normal periods, it is around 2 to 2.5 lakhs. Usually, there is a drop in the numbers at the beginning of the financial year, as the whole year is remaining for the completion of hundred job days. However, this drastic fall is owing to the second wave of the pandemic, as there is COVID-19 spread in the rural areas and quite a few are concerned about contacting the virus in worksites,” an official of the MGNREGS state mission told The Hindu. Considering the restriction on the number of workers per site, only smaller works, especially those for individual beneficiaries, are being taken up. The MGNREGS works were completely stopped during the lockdown imposed in March last year during the first wave of COVID-19. However, when the works were restarted, there was a major surge in demand for jobs, as many who had lost their jobs in other sectors turned up to apply for job cards.