Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP) guarantees 100 days of employment to each household at a minimum prescribed rate. The long term objective of the programme is to enhance people's livelihood on a sustainable basis by developing the economic and social infrastructure in the rural areas. The types of works recommended in the scheme are related to economic and social infrastructure such as water conservation and water harvesting, drought proofing, irrigation canals, provision of irrigation facility, renovation of traditional water bodies, land development, flood control and protection works including drainage in water logged areas, and rural connectivity. In India, the scheme provides employment to more than 20 million households, out of which more than 50.5 per cent of the beneficiaries come from underprivileged households. Equal preference is given to women as compared to men. This book provides an over all view on MGNREGP and other poverty alleviation programmes.