National Rural Employment Programme

Poverty and unemployment the two major problems facing countries. Not only developing countries but also some of the developed countries of the world are struggling with the above said problems as a result of recent economic crisis. But compared to developed countries the situations of most of the developing countries are too worse. Since 1950s the Indian government and Non Governmental Organizations have initiated several programs to alleviate poverty including subsidizing food and other necessities, increased access to loans, improving agricultural techniques and price supports and promoting education and family planning. An in-depth analysis of such problems in those countries exhibits the need of a National Rural Employment Programme. India one of the country among them recognizes earlier the need of such a programme and speed up the steps to its implementation in the early period of 2005. The act was enacted with tan aim of improving the purchasing power of rural people by providing a legal guarantee of 100 days of employment in every financial year to adult members of any rural households willing to do public work related unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wages of Rs. 100 per day. The success of the programme tends the UPA government to change its name as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme. This book deals with the empirical studies related to the impact of National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme in India.