Gendered Risks, Poverty And Vulnerability In India

This report specifically examines the gendered dimensions and impacts of the Indian public works programme, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The government of India has taken an “inclusive growth” approach to poverty reduction, with one of the main flagship programmes being MGNREGA – a public works programme reaching up to 45 million households aimed at supporting a transformation in rural livelihoods and agricultural productivity in India through public works. This report further analyses that it is not just cultural and institutional barriers that restrict women’s demand for and participation in MGNREGA: lifecycle vulnerabilities are also an influencing factor.