The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is not only providing a livelihood to thousands of rural people of the district, it is a strong medium of progress through construction of infrastructures for the benefit of people.
      All the needy persons of Shahdol district are now working in their own villages under the MGNREGS scheme for a living. Under this scheme, during the year 2009-10 Rs. 15 thousand 273 lakh were received till March 2010. Out of this, Rs. 12 thousand 354 lakh were spent for providing employment to one lakh 62 thousand 530 families. In this, 115.80 lakh man days of employment was created. Under MGNREGS, 4 thousand 975 works have been completed and 9 thousand 918 works are under progress.
       Under Kapildhara scheme which is a subsidiary scheme of MGNREGS, the works in un-irrigated areas of tribal-dominated places, irrigation infrastructure and facilities development proving fruitful. Wells dug under the scheme have proven very much beneficial to the tribals. In fact, these wells have solved the problem of irrigation in these areas. Under Kapildhara scheme 8 thousand 737 works were sanctioned. Out of this, 6 thousand 671 works have been completed while 2 thousand 66 works are under progress. So far Rs. 4 thousand 281 lakh have already been spent on these works.
       Under MGNREGS, an adult member of every family is given employment at the rate of Rs. 100 per day for at least 100 days in a year. Nandan Phalodyan is another subsidiary scheme of MGNREGS. Under this scheme saplings of fruit bearing trees are being planted on the land of the beneficiaries. Under this scheme, 3 thousand 157 works are under progress in the district. So far Rs. 352 lakh have already been spent on these works. Bhumi Shilp is another subsidiary plan of MGNREGS. Under this plan, soil erosion and water content in the soil is protected along with water conservation in the land of the beneficiary. During the period under review, out of the 1300 sanctioned works, 364 works have already been completed and the remaining 936 works are under progress. Rs. 1 thousand 447 lakh have already been spent on these works.
       The Nirmalneer plan is another subsidiary plan of MGNREGS. Under this plan ponds and wells are constructed for common use. Under this plan, 185 works were sanctioned, out of which 53 were completed and the remaining 132 are under progress. So far Rs. 75.93 lakh have already been spent on these works. Nirmal Vatika is another subsidiary plan of MGNREGS. Under this scheme at least 5 multi-useful trees are planted in the premises of the beneficiary's house or at the nearby government land. For growing these plants bio-fertilizer is manufactured with the help of every toilet of the beneficiary by digging a pair of pits near the toilet. Under the Nirmal Vatika plan 513 works were sanctioned and out of which 13 works are completed. The remaining 198 works are under progress. Rs. 253 lakh were spent on these works so far. MGNREGS is proving a boon to the needy rural people in more than one way.