MGNREGA has come after almost 56 years of experience of other rural employment
programmes, which include both Centrally Sponsored Schemes and those launched by State
Governments. These comprise the National Rural Employment Programme (NREP) 1980-89;
Rural Landless Employment Guarantee Programme (RLEGP) 1983-89; Jawahar Rojgar Yojana
(JRY) 1989-1990; Employment Assurance Scheme (EAS) 1993- 99. Jawahar Gram Samridhi
Yojana (JGSY) 1999-2002; Sampoorna Grameen Rojgar Yojana (SGRY) 2001; National Food
for Work Programme (NFFWP) 2004. Among these programmes, the SGRY and NFFWP have
been merged with NREGA in 2005.
The Act was implemented in phased manner – 130 districts were added in 2007–08. With its
spread over 625 districts across the country, the flagship program of the UPA Government has the potential to increase the purchasing power of the rural poor, reduce distress migration and to
create useful assets in rural India. Also, it can foster social and gender equality as 23 per cent
workers under the scheme are Scheduled Castes, 17 per cent Scheduled Tribes and 50 per cent
women. In 2010–11, 41 million households were employed on NREGA worksites. This Act was
introduced with an aim of improving the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or
unskilled work to people living in rural India, whether or not they are be low the poverty line
(en.wikipedia.org/.../ Mahatma_Gandhi_National_Rural_Employment).