MGNREGA work demand dips in July on heavy monsoon rains, sowing progress

In June, India received almost 8 per cent below-normal rains. This jumped to 17 per cent above normal in July

Demand for Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) work dropped nearly 35 per cent in July. This is attributed to above-average rainfall in several parts of the country and pick-up in kharif sowing.

July is usually considered a lean month for MGNREGA work because worksites get impacted by heavy monsoon. Yet 20.43 million households sought work under the scheme that month, according to the official website.

The latest Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) data corroborates this drop. Agriculture absorbed 9.4 million people in July, but it also shed 8 million in June.

However, despite the fall