FROM around 70% in early 1980s, the share of employment in agriculture declined to 60% in 1999-2000 and further to 49% in 2011-12 (Reports state that 58% are presently dependent on agriculture). Most striking is that for the first time since the recording of data on employment, the absolute number employed in agriculture has fallen; between 2004 and 2011-12, nearly 35 million persons moved away from the sector. Lakhs of farmers have committed suicide in view of agrarian crisis leading to increasing non-profitability of agriculture especially for those owning small parcels of land. Commercialisation and corporatisation of agriculture has driven small and marginal farmers to the brink and are forced to move towards urban areas in search of employment.

MGNREGA is a scheme designed to tackle the massive problem of rural unemployment. But, the purpose of the scheme is being defeated by delinking the MGNREGA wage rates from the Minimum Wages Act, 1948 and making it unattractive and unresponsive. This is further complicated when the central government has slashed budget allocation for the scheme. Choosing not to increase wages to any decent level, in real terms, has dealt a major blow to the functioning of the scheme and consequently to large segments of the most vulnerable sections of India's work force. Moreover, when urban areas are not able to pull workers from rural areas, massive push factor to urban areas in search of employment creates imbalance and thus results in huge crisis of unemployment.