Why is it in the news ?
- The share of younger workers in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) has begun to rise.
More in the news
- Declining trend halted:
(1) Earlier there used to be a steady decline in the proportion of young workers, those between 18 and 30.
(2) The total number of young workers (18-30 years) employed under the job guarantee scheme was more than 1 crore in 2013-14 which came down to 58.69 lakh in 2017-18.
(3) However, their number started rising again and reached 70.71 lakh in 2018-19.
- Causes:
(1) Experts say this could be a reflection of rural distress and lack of employment opportunities.
(2) Demonetisation and the rollout of GST also has a role to play.
(3) Both these decision caused disruptions in the economy, which many experts feel contributed to the slowdown.
Source
Indian Express.