Data from the MGNREGA website showed work demand from households in April stood at 23.2 million, down from 26,1 million in April 2021. Individual demand fell 13% to 32.8 million from 37.8 million individuals who demanded work under the scheme a year ago.
The work demand in April, though higher than in 2019, is on the decline, suggesting a gradual return in the labour market. In April 2019, 21 million households demanded work under the scheme while the individual demand stood at 30.3 million.
The data, however, is not comparable to April 2020 as it was the first month of the nationwide lockdown imposed in the wake of Covid-19 during which all economic activities, including work under MGNREGA, had come to a halt. While 13.4 million households demanded work in April 2020, demand for work from individuals was 20 million. This should come as a relief to the government, which had overshot its expenditure on the scheme for two consecutive years.
