Synopsis While there was demand for work from 26.2 million households in January, only 18.4 million got employment, according to government data. New Delhi: The number of rural households that didn’t get work under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee scheme soared to 7.8 million in January – an all-time high in this financial year – as states were said to have gone slow in providing work. While there was demand for work from 26.2 million households in January, only 18.4 million got employment, according to government data. The previous peak was in June, when demand from 5.8 million households was unmet after workers migrated from the cities to rural areas in the wake of the Covid-19 lockdown.