Do Mahatma Gandhi NREGA and convergence measures arrest distress migration? An empirical assessment of the migration-prone regions of Odisha, India

Narayan Chandra Nayak (), Bimal Kishore Sahoo and Alok Ranjan Mohanty
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Narayan Chandra Nayak: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Bimal Kishore Sahoo: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur
Alok Ranjan Mohanty: Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur

Letters in Spatial and Resource Sciences, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, No 7, 22 pages

Abstract: Abstract In India, distress migration has always been a matter of grave concern. Such a phenomenon is attributed mainly inter alia to persistent poverty, food insecurity, and lack of employment opportunities. Intending to arrest distress migration, the Government of India introduced Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) in 2005. In 2013, the convergence program was introduced. This study, based on the primary survey of 590 households covering some migration-prone districts of Odisha, thus, examines the impact of MGNREGA and associated convergence activities on distress migration. We employ the Mahalanobis Distance Metric matching method to assess the impact on distress migration, including certain economic wellbeing indicators. Anecdotes and empirical results indicate that the MGNREGA and the convergence schemes seem to have been effective in arresting distress migration, thanks to the rise in household incomes. Other notable impacts include a rise in saving propensities, female employment, and food expenditure. Suffice to state that with timely implementation and appropriate targeting, these measures can remove distress migration and make rural women economically empowered. As these schemes are inherently targeted towards the SC and ST households, if executed successfully, these disadvantaged sections will reap the desired benefits.

Keywords: Convergence; Distress migration; Mahalanobis Distance Metric Matching; MGNREGA; Odisha (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H53 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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DOI: 10.1007/s12076-023-00332-0

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