Public works programme in India: An evaluation of the rural employment guarantee programme in West Bengal

Public works programmes have been increasingly adopted by developing economies as a strategy to tackle unemployment and poverty. In India, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act was passed which guarantees unskilled employment to all rural households. This chapter reviews the performance of the implementation of the programme in the state of West Bengal and compares it with the rest of the country. It evaluates the programme in terms of number of person-days generated and its inclusiveness in reaching out to the poorest and deprived households. Findings suggest that apart from the tribals, the programme has been able to reach the vulnerable and deprived population more than that in other parts of the country. However, in terms of getting the full entitlement of work, performance has not been exactly inclusive. The results show that it is necessary for the state to improve on intensive margin, that is, to provide more work to the participants and also improve woman and tribal participation.