Women break new ground in MGNREGS

Women break new ground in MGNREGS

  • Women’s participation in Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) has increased to a 10 year high in the financial year 2022-23.
    • According to the latest statistics available with the Union Rural Development Ministry 57.8% of the workers who used the scheme in 2022 were women which is their highest level of participation since 2012-13.
    • For the past five years, in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, women’s share in the MGNREGS workforce has been hovering between 85% and 90%.
  • Women’s participation increased due to two factors – market forces and welfare incentives for women MGNREGS workers.
  • The growth spike was higher in Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
  • The proportion of women workers in Bihar grew 3.7 percentage points this year, while U.P. saw a 3.3 percentage point hike.

About MGNREGA

  • Launched on August 25, 2005.
    • The MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for one hundred days of employment to adult members of any rural household willing to do unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage.
  • Implemented by the Ministry of Rural Development (MRD).
    • Aims to improve the purchasing power of the rural people, primarily semi or unskilled work to people living below poverty line in rural India.
  • The employment will be provided within a radius of 5 km: if it is above 5 km extra wage will be paid.

Defence, National Security and Terrorism

K9-Vajra

  • The Defence Ministry has started the process for the procurement of 100 more K9-Vajra tracked self-propelled howitzers.
  • They are manufactured in India by Larsen & Toubro (L&T) using technology transferred from South Korean defence major Hanwha Defense.
  • The induction of Dhanush, K-9 Vajra and M777 Ultra Light Howitzers has enhanced the reach of artillery firepower on the northern borders.

About K9-Vajra:

  • It is a 155 mm, 52-calibre tracked self-propelled howitzer.
  • It can be mainly used in deserts, but can be deployed in the mountains as well.
  • To ensure that these systems performed optimally,
  • The Army also procured winterisation kits for the regiment deployed to enable K9 – Vajra to be used in the extreme cold weather conditions of the mountains.

About M777 Ultra Light Howitzers:

  • It is a 155 mm, 39-calibre towed artillery gun and weighs 4 tonnes.
  • It is made of titanium and aluminium alloys.
  • It has a range of 2.4 to 30 km.
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