The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) saw a continued decline in work demand in August, marking the 10th consecutive month of fewer people seeking employment, according to a report by The Economic Times, based on data from the Ministry of Rural Development. The demand for jobs under MGNREGS, the government's flagship rural employment initiative, has been decreasing consistently, with August recording about 19 million people seeking work, down from 22.91 million in the same month the previous year. Data compiled by the Ministry of Rural Development also showed that 16.1 million households were involved, reflecting a 16 per cent drop from last year. This reduction is largely attributed to improved economic conditions and favourable monsoon rains, which have lessened the need for unskilled labour.