MGNREGA_SAMEEKSHA

Bibliography 109
Watershed Organization Trust (WOTR), ‘Impact Appraisal of NREGA in Aurangabad and Ahmednagar Districts of
Maharashtra’, Report submitted to the Ministry of Rural Development/UNDP, WOTR, 2010.
Abstract: The report looks at MGNREGA and Maharashtra Employment Guarantee Scheme. It evaluates the processes and
procedures of the Scheme. NREGA works need to be assessed in the context of their livelihood utility for beneficiaries. The
impact of the works undertaken and the assets created through NREGA/MREGS need to be assessed in this context. Uniformly,
respondents of both the sample districts stressed the employment availability in the lean period as the most important aspect
of the programme. Perception-based surveys suggest a reduction in distress migration, especially in the areas where it is
implemented with vigour.
The respondents claim that after the MREGS implementation, water level in wells increased resulting in water availability
for domestic use, livestock and irrigation for a greater period in the year. This has changed the land use pattern by increasing
area under seasonal irrigation. Consequently, change in the cropping pattern that indicate slight shift towards commercial
vegetable crops is evident. The respondents also reported increase in the land under cultivation, though on a smaller scale.
During the FGDs participants mentioned that many farmers were able to take second crop in the Rabi season with increased
availability of water.