Srinagar, May 22 -- Every morning, before the sun climbs over the apple orchards of north Kashmir, 32-year-old Irfan Ahmad sets out on his motorbike.

On good days, he reaches his first stop-an MGNREGA worksite-by 9 a.m. On bad ones, he's forced to take a detour along unreliable fair-weather roads.

By evening, Irfan manages to sign in at three different Gram Panchayats, visit multiple work crews, and gather data for several government programs.

Irfan is a Gram Rozgar Sahayak (GRS), or village employment assistant. His job is to help implement one of India's most ambitious welfare programs, the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

In principle, the scheme promises 100 days of wage work to every rural househo...