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Synopsis The state of Meghalaya in India, though socially progressive, is characterized by the economic backwardness. Women's participation rate in the work force is high in the state as reflected in census data. The state has virtually no industrial base despite being rich in minerals and scenic beauty, the latter being an economic resource vested in the hands of the entire community. Animal husbandry has not been a serious activity here. The people, therefore, are left with little option but to seek employment in agriculture. It goes without saying that agriculture in the hills requires not only different technologies of cultivation, but also different suitable crops. All these factors have led to low land, labour and capital productivities. In addition, the proportion of cultivators and agricultural labourers to the state's total working force is as high as 64 per cent indicating the lopsided occupational structure in the state. This study examines the employment benefits that have accrued to workers employed under the earlier introduced poverty alleviation programmes, the N.R.E.P. and J.R.Y., in the state of Meghalaya, besides looking into the poverty incidence of both beneficiary and non-beneficiary households.