Work demand under NREGS dips in October

Demand for work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme fell in October and stood at its lowest in the current fiscal so far, both across households and individuals.

Government data shows household demand for work fell 7.2% month-on-month to 15.5 million compared to 16.7 million in September while individual demand fell by 8.4% to 18.5 million as against 20.2 million in September.

Household demand for work under the rural employment guarantee scheme stood at 23.2 million in April, 30.7 million in May, 31.7 million in June, 20.4 million in July and 15.9 million in August while the individual demand stood at 32.8 million in April, 43.5 million in May, 43.2 million in June, 25.2 million in July and 19.1 million in August.


There is generally a low demand for work under Mgnrega in October but it tends to rebound in subsequent months and experts say it will be a couple of quarters before the demand for work cools down on a sustainable basis.

"Demand for work under Mgnrega will continue to fluctuate. The numbers will cool down once the industrial and services sector growth momentum takes place," labour expert KR Shyam Sundar said.