Women empowerment through MGNREGA in the State of Kerala

1. RURAL WOMEN EMPOWERMENT
THROUGH MGNREGS IN THE
STATE OF KERALA
ABDULAZEEZ. NP
Junior Research Fellow, Department of Economics, Aligarh Muslim University

2. MGNREGA: Objectives
(a) Primary Objective:
“Empowerment of the society by creation of durable assets and
strengthening the livelihood resource base of the rural poor by
providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage
employment …”
(a) Secondary objectives:
• To reduce distress migration;
• Creation of durable community assets in rural areas;
• Invigorating civic and community life and enlivening of PRIs;
• Empowerment of rural women;
• Overall development of the rural economy;
• Promotion of inclusive growth and development

3. Factors Encouraging Women
Participation
 Nature of works (not require special knowledge)
 Outmigration of male family members
 Availability of employment opportunities at doorstep
 Provision of equal wage
 Innovative experiments in implementation (Female mate)
 Various provisions available at work site
 Synergy of MGNREGS with various programme.

4. Provision for Women’s Empowerment through
MGNREGS
 Gender parity of wage
 Ensuring that at least 33% of the workers shall be women
 Increased in control rights of women in earnings from MGNREGA
 Provisions like
• Work within a radius of five kilometers from the house
• Flexibility in terms of choosing period and months of employment
 crèches for the children of women workers

5. women’s participation in the Gramsabha
work selection
social audit
mobilization of civil society
share in the controlling and supervising
management of assets created
Participation of women in MGNREGS

6. Women’s Employment in Kerala
In Kerala more than half of the population is women
 employment discrimination of women like employment
discrimination, denial of their rights, economic backwardness,
employment injustice in organized sector
women are engaged in unorganized sector
women are relatively more educated, experiences one of the
lowest female work participation and highest unemployment

7. Kudumbasree
Kudumbasree (prosperity of the family), the women
oriented community based poverty alleviation
programme which is based on micro credit and self
help group ,being Implemented by the Kerala
Government, with the Active support of Government
of India NABARD which tries to empower women.
The mission aims at removing poverty among rural
women households, the empowerment of women,
through forming self help groups and encouraging their
entrepreneurial or other wide range of activities.
Thrift and credit societies, linkage banking, lease land
farming, rural micro enterprises etc are some of the
initiatives introduced by Kudumbasree to improve the
livelihood of the poor women

8. Kudumbasree and MGNREGS
Kudumbasree groups are active in implementing the
scheme with women ‘mates’ and responsibility of overall
supervision.
The manifold functions taken up by Kudumbasree
members range from identification of projects to
supervision of works and submission of records for wage
disbursement.
They are very vigilant in spreading awareness about
MGNREGS through radio, poster, television, notice board
on gram Sabha, etc. thus women enjoyed pre-eminence,
safety, security and respect, including self-respect.

9. Structure of Kudumbasree
Gram Panchayat
Community Development Society(CDS)
(One in each panchayat, registered as a Society under the Societies Act)
Area Development Society (30-40 NHGs) – ward level
(Overseeing committee of 7 persons)
Neighbourhood Groups and Self Help Groups
(10-20 persons)

10. Duties of ADS in MGNREGS
 The Estimate of the work should be displayed in the board
 They should provide all the necessary to the workers
 Provide tools/implements at the worksite
 Get signatures of the workers in the muster roll
 ADS should ensure that the workers are coming on time
and doing the correct amount of work.
 Site diary to be maintained giving details of income and
expense, number of implements used; number of people
and days worked by each one.
 If there are children below 5 yrs, a shed to be made and an
ayah to look after the children
 First Aid Box to be provided at the worksite
 Interact with the Panchayat and other officials
 Ensure that the wages are given on time

11. 12/29/15NREGA,2005
11
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
WomenParticipation under MGNREGS-National Scenario
2006-07
2010-11

12. District level Women Participation in Kerala
DISTRICTS 2008-09 2009-2010 2010-2011
PALAKKAD 89.07 92.21 93.25
WAYANAD 76.60 79.44 84.93
IDUKKI 87.06 72.54 71.79
KASARGOD 82.79 87.85 87.40
ALAPPUZHA 89.45 93.28 94.45
ERNAKULAM 91.08 93.93 94.69
KANNUR 85.81 93.58 95.49
KOLLAM 82.53 87.18 86.90
KOTTAYAM 85.84 94.58 95.54
KOZHIKODE 83.34 92.71 93.68
MALAPPURAM 78.79 92.26 92.86
PATHANAMTHITTA 82.08 92.89 94.65
THRISSUR 94.44 95.87 95.64
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM 85.02 90.02 90.87
GRND TOTAL 85.01 88.19 90.36

13. Women Participation in Kerala-
(District Wise Analysis)

14. Kudumbasree Workers Engaging in Work

15. Consequences of Women Participation
 Increased their ability to earn resulted high consumption choice and
reduced economic dependence
 As women are comfortable working along with their neighbors, nearly
90% of the workers have been women.
 For the first time equal wages are really paid and this has boosted the
earnings of women.
 As the wages are paid into Bank accounts the habit of thrift which was
already inculcated through the Kudumbasree experiment has further been
strengthened.
 As the Bank deposits are increasing, the intra-household status of the
woman has also been improving commensurately as she controls
substantial cash resources and withdrawal can be only on her decision.
 As a capacity building process

16. Conclusion
Empowerment of rural women has emerged as an
unintended consequence of MGNREGS. Women have
benefited more as workers than as a community.
By generating employment for women at fair wages in the
village, MGNREGA can play a substantial role in
economically empowering women and laying the basis for
greater independence and self-esteem.
The Kerala model of linking MGNREGS with women’s
groups (Kudumbasree) may be useful for greater process
participation.
Thus in Kerala this program became a “Women Program”

17. THANKS