Data that suggests young workers are increasingly turning to the scheme is a sign that must worry policymakers
After the contraction of factory output by 1.1 per cent in August compared to the past year, the sharp decline in commercial credit in the year till September and other such gloomy indicators, come fresh signs of the deepening slowdown.
As this paper has reported, the proportion of young workers, those in the age group of 18-30, in the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA scheme, has begun to rise, especially after 2017-18, when the economy was hit first by demonetisation and later by the implementation of the GST.
The number of young workers employed under the demand driven social security scheme rose to 70.71 lakh in 2018-19 — up from 58.69 lakh in FY18 and seems to be on an upward trajectory this year too with 57.57 lakh having been employed upto October 21 this year.
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