At a time when the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is facing flak from many quarters including the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG), a study by Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and other national institutions suggests that the scheme has generated environmental benefits in a number of states.
MGNREGA was in news recently for poor implementation and wastage of funds. The CAG report had found that only 30% of 129 lakh works worth over Rs 1.26 lakh crore was completed. But the IISc report commissioned by the ministry of rural development and GIZ, analyses the impact of the scheme from an environmental point of view.
The study is based on the experience of MGNREGA in five states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Sikkim. The current condition of sites chosen in each state are compared with pre-MGNREGA scenarios (2006-07) for parameters like ground water level, soil erosion, soil organic carbon, biomass and others. The parameters are also compared with 'control states' where MGNREGA is not being implemented.
The assessment found that a bulk of the works in AP, Karnataka, MP and Bhilwara in Rajasthan were linked to water conservation such as water harvesting, drought proofing, irrigation and renovation of traditional water bodies. The study concludes that ground water levels and drinking water availability had improved in these areas because of MGNREGA projects. Other works like check dams, percolation tanks, desilting of natural water tanks have also contributed to an increase in the area irrigated by borewells. This has also led to increased crop yields in 30 out of the 40 study villages according to the study.
It also found that soil organic carbon content (indicator of soil fertility) in 899 beneficiary sample plots in all the study villages, an increase in the SOC levels was recorded in 72% of the plots as compared to the control states. In three districts where land was uncultivable is now being cultivated because of land development works of MGNREGA like leveling, clearing and others claims the report. In Dhar, Madhya Pradesh agriculture was rain fed and croplands were cultivated only once a year but post MGNREGA, beneficiaries in the district also cultivate in the Rabi season.
Drought proofing activities like afforestation and horticulture development has led to improvements in the forest cover. In 31 of the 40 study villages, forest varieties like Dalbergia and Neem and fruit yielding varieties like Mango, Guava, Jackfruit, and Lemon have been planted on individual farm lands and common property resources. Authors of report have concluded that the forests have a potential to sequester carbon in the long run which can help deal with climate change impacts.
But authors avoided commenting on corruption and wastage of funds associated with the scheme. "In all the five states MGNREGA works were implemented and had resulted in a number of environmental benefits. We think that the scheme has the potential to improve ecological resilience in the area, provided the works are implemented. These works are not technical and farmers can do them very easily," says NH Ravindranath, one of the authors of the study.
MGNREGA guarantees 100 days of wage-employment in a financial year to a rural household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
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