The Economic Survey of 2021-22 has questioned the popular notion that the surge in demand for jobs under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) immediately after the first lockdown was the result of reverse migration.
Basing its analysis on state-level data, the Survey said that the latest work demand pattern for the scheme in FY22 shows that for many migrant source states like West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Bihar, MNREGS employment in most months of 2021 was lower than the corresponding levels in 2020.
While, in contrast, the demand for MGNREGS employment has been higher for migrant