By 10 in the morning, the temperature on Meena’s MGNREGS worksite outside Jhunjhunu has already crossed 38°C. If she fails to meet her daily earthwork target, her wage is docked. If she leaves the site, she is not paid at all.
The same week temperatures in parts of Rajasthan crossed 47°C, a new government report celebrated rising female labour force participation. What it did not ask was what extreme heat is doing to that participation.
