Covid-19 in India: Graduates turn to manual labour to survive economic crisis

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As India's economy reels from the Covid-19 crisis, a rural employment programme has emerged as a lifeline for some of the tens of millions left jobless, including skilled workers such as engineers and teachers. The programme, called the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act or MGNREGA, was intended to combat poverty in rural areas. It is now a potent symbol of how the middle-class dreams of millions of Indians are unravelling. Our correspondents report.