Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act makes a paradigm shift from the previous wage employment programmes by

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), 2005, represents a paradigm shift from previous wage employment schemes by converting employment into a statutory, enforceable right . Unlike earlier programs like the Jawahar Rozgar Yojana or the Food for Work Programme, which were scheme-based and subject to administrative discretion, MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for at least 100 days of unskilled manual work to every rural household [3]. This legal architecture imposes a binding obligation on the state; if the government fails to provide work within 15 days of demand, it is legally mandated to pay an unemployment allowance [1]. This shift from a 'supply-led' to a 'demand-driven' rights-based framework empowers the rural poor to demand work as a matter of right rather than receiving it as a welfare benefit [2].

Sources

1. [2] History , class XII (Tamilnadu state board 2024 ed.) > Chapter 9: Envisioning a New Socio-Economic Order > Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005 (MGNREGA) > p. 121
2. [3] Rajiv Ahir. A Brief History of Modern India (2019 ed.). SPECTRUM. > Chapter 39: After Nehru... > UPA Government: First Term > p. 761
3. [1] Understanding Economic Development. Class X . NCERT(Revised ed 2025) > Chapter 2: SECTORS OF THE INDIAN ECONOMY > How to Create More Employment? > p. 28