Karnataka: MGNREGS helps mute man, wife in Koppal lead a respectable life

KOPPAL: Prospects seemed bleak for Nagappa, a mute man in Hire Dankal village that falls under the Chikka Dankal gram panchayat in Kanakagiri taluk, Koppal, six years ago, with few employment opportunities.
However, the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Rural Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) ushered in hope and brought stability to the lives of Nagappa, his wife Lakshmamma and their five children. For the past six years, Nagappa has been able to provide for his family through the wages he earns from working on MGNREGS projects.
MGNREGS has, besides helping him eke out a livelihood, helped Nagappa widen his circle of friends. "I get work for the maximum number of days as stipulated by MGNREGA, and mingling with others," Nagappa said.
Lakshmamma said that MGNREGS had offered a platform for her husband to prove himself. "When we cannot find work under MGNREGS, we are able to find other opportunities. The MGNREGS job card has helped us lead a dignified life. We are facing little difficulty in raising our four daughters and a son, whom we have also been able to educate. Earlier, we were forced to migrate to Bengaluru, Pune, Mangaluru looking for work, mostly in the construction sector. Now, we do not have to leave our village," said Lakshmamma.
Members of the Madiwala community, Lakshmamma and Nagappa also run a laundry store, in addition to tilling the field, when there is no work under MGNREGS.
Chikka Dankal gram panchayat development officer Veeranna Nakralli said that Nagappa and Lakshmamma had been employed under various MGNREGS initiatives for the past five years.
"We have employed them for 100 days each year, while in 2019-20, when the maximum number of days was increased to 150 owing to drought, they worked on all those days. His disability notwithstanding, Nagappa is as efficient and capable as everyone else he works with," said Nakralli.