Caste, Class, and Audits

Abstract

How does the NREGA process unfold in a village that is deeply and historically divided by caste and class relations? The analysis in this chapter is based on a study of a large agricultural village that is sharply split in class and caste. The first section describes the sociopolitical context of the village, with a focus on how Dalits have been mobilizing to gain power that predated the introduction of NREGA, a phenomenon that was not just local to the village. The second section discusses how the implementation of NREGA further affects power relations in the village. It then shows how even in the context of entrenched social and economic boundaries, effective implementation of NREGA can improve circumstances for workers, extending beyond outcomes in NREGA to improving their bargaining power in relation to the dominant landowners and resulting in an overall increase in agricultural wages.