2023, Vol. 8, Special Issue 4

The present study determines the awareness level and the constraints faced by farmers and government officials in the implementation of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) scheme in the Dimapur district of Nagaland. The field study was conducted with the objectives to study the awareness level of the respondents and the constraints faced by the beneficiaries and government officials during the implementation of the MGNREGA scheme. Findings revealed that the awareness level was medium and two major problems that were faced by the beneficiaries were the unavailability of 100’s days’ work and the delay of the payment of the MGNREGA wages. The government officials expressed the problem of the non-availability of the fund in the treasury at the proper time and also not being provided with the required fund meet for the payment of MGNREGA. It was for this reason that a total of 100 days of work could not be provided due to lack of funds for the total of 100 days. As a result, suggestions were made to tackle such problems through proper administration and monitoring mechanisms. Establishment of proper payment process to ensure timely disbursement of wages to workers and also creating awareness so that there will be active participation of the workers in the planning and implementation processes thereby fostering a sense of ownership and responsibility which can be achieved through community mobilization, training programs, and the establishment of transparent and participatory decision-making structures and thereby, fulfilling its vision of empowering rural communities and reducing poverty in India.