MGNREGA workers Indicating a trend of reverse migration following lockdowns in several states, the demand for work by households under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) shot up by 89 per cent to 2.54 crore households in April 2021. The demand in this month has been the highest as compared to any April since the recording of this data began in 2013. For example, the numbers stood at merely 1.34 crore households in April 2020 at a time when the first ever nationwide lockdown was at its peak. In fact, data from the Union Rural Development Ministry claims that the count of people demanding work under the MGNREGA increased to 3.66 crore from 2 crore in April 2020.