India's Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) is the largest public works employment project in the world, employing 55 million households in 2010-11. The program places an emphasis on rural poverty reduction, granting rural households a legal right to employment of up to 100 days per year in public works programs. In this way, the program aims to boost employment and incomes, especially for the rural poor. How well the MGNREGS actually targets poor house-holds in each state throughout India, as well as how to improve pro-poor targeting, is the focus of this project note.