Women are contributing more than half the work force under the ambitious NREGA scheme, with Kerala topping the chart of female participation and Jammu and Kashmir figuring at the bottom.
According to an assessment of the rural development ministry, about 52 per cent of all households given employment across the country under NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) since 2008, are women.
Kerala and Tamil Nadu have taken a march over other states on the number of women participation followed by Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh.
As per statistics with the Ministry, women constituted 85.05 per cent of the total 3,16,287 households which were provided jobs under the Rural Employment Guarantee Act since 2008.
In Tamil Nadu, the percentage of women stood at 80.52 among a total of 21,21,317 households employed under the Act. Among the western states, Rajasthan had the highest number of women who took up jobs under NREGA. They constituted 71.32 per cent of the total 47,37,819 households which were provided work under the Act.
Participation of women, however, remained lowest in Jammu and Kashmir during the said period. Of a total 55,176 employed in the state, the percentage of women stood merely at 4.22. In Andhra Pradesh, percentage of women in various NREGA programmes stood at 59.26 of a total 39,09,189 households.
Women outnumbered men in naxal-affected Chhattisgarh where they constituted 52.27 per cent of the total 10,31,094.
In Tripura, their participation remained nearly 52 per cent of the total 1, 29,775. Although, the national percentage of women participation remained high, Ministry’s assessment reveals that their share remained below 50 per cent in the rest of the states.
