Jaspreet Kaur, Amandeep Kaur
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) is one of the largest rights-based social protection programmes in India aimed at improving livelihood security through guaranteed wage employment in rural areas. The present paper discusses the role of MGNREGA in creation of rural employment in India. The study uses a conceptual and descriptive approach to review the relevant literature and secondary data on person-days generated under MGNREGA during 2006-07 to 2023-24. The results show that the programme generated a substantial increase in employment in the initial years of its operation, varied with the changing economic conditions and policy interventions, and reached its highest point in 2020–21 during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further trend analysis reveals that demand for employment under MGNREGA is intricately linked with rural economic conditions and labour market dynamics. The paper concludes that MGNREGA continues to be a critical tool for employment generation and inclusive rural development in India.