Enthusiast on reading a lot NREGA as employment scheme is making difference to the life to the people, i dropped at the BDO office of my Town (Kotkapura in Punjab). His deputy turned out to be my old friend of my dad, so i had a chance to ask all the formal and Informal questions regarding implementation of NREGA in my district. The various things he told me :
In Punjab, .under the provisions of NREGA which is supposed to be labor intensive work , it is failing as in punjab , the work is performed efficiently with machines. So employing labour in them is actually helping the case.( i can argue to promote equality in society we have to engage them , but nobody want substandard work and moreover its like keeping them ppl engage in old techniques of work). He suggested me its great where manual labour can work effectively esp in Hill areas like Himachal and Uttarakhand.
2. The type of work itself is not leading to any Infrastructure Development , beacuse they are involved in pond maintaining activities and utlimately least of botheration to ppl in villages. Moreover nobody bothers how much work is completed.
3. As he rightly maintained they cannot be engaged in Agriculture work ,as Agri is private affair there NREGA comes under Govt. work
futher he made to contact the JE who is handling NREGA work in that District ( 200 villages ) . He revealed the implementation Issues involved in NREGA.
1. The total cards registered for NREGA is 20000.. going by the number the amt to be sanctioned for labour only will 30 crores for a year ( 20000 * 100 (man days) * 150 (day rate) ), but surprisingly the alloted fund for NREGA for that year is only 2.5 crores (leas than 10%). when asked further he said that is fund allocated to the distrcit. when i asked don't ppl ask for work , then he said officials suppresed the demand by refusing to accept cards by bureaucratic delays. moreover he told me ppl are not aware/educated about the whole scheme.
2 . Acc to act, there should be 1 JE to handle the work for 10-12 villages, but unfortunately here he is handling load of all 200 villages. clearly coming out how the work plan is prepared with such a human capacity.
3 . The Gram Sevak in each Village is paid 2500 rs. per month, with such a lower salary he is not motivated to carry out the work of coordinating the village activities for NREGA efficiently. ( the NREGA worker got 30*150 = 4500 rs. , higher tham gram sevak , how sevak can be motivated to make this happen)
When i finally asked the solution , the answer was mainly in the form of Capactity building for JE's and Gram Sevak with adequate Remuneration along with training.
Secondly he talked to make ppl aware about their proper rights for the scheme.
Moreover the earlier suggestion came to ling NREGA with agriculture atleast in agro prominent states.
So I found one size fit for Nrega is certainly not working , moreover the earlier lacune for rural development is still hindrance both in terms of capacity building and awarenes among ppl.
May be the much proposed NREGA 2.0 by new Rural development Minister Mr. Jairam ramensh help to improve the situation !!
In Punjab, .under the provisions of NREGA which is supposed to be labor intensive work , it is failing as in punjab , the work is performed efficiently with machines. So employing labour in them is actually helping the case.( i can argue to promote equality in society we have to engage them , but nobody want substandard work and moreover its like keeping them ppl engage in old techniques of work). He suggested me its great where manual labour can work effectively esp in Hill areas like Himachal and Uttarakhand.
2. The type of work itself is not leading to any Infrastructure Development , beacuse they are involved in pond maintaining activities and utlimately least of botheration to ppl in villages. Moreover nobody bothers how much work is completed.
3. As he rightly maintained they cannot be engaged in Agriculture work ,as Agri is private affair there NREGA comes under Govt. work
futher he made to contact the JE who is handling NREGA work in that District ( 200 villages ) . He revealed the implementation Issues involved in NREGA.
1. The total cards registered for NREGA is 20000.. going by the number the amt to be sanctioned for labour only will 30 crores for a year ( 20000 * 100 (man days) * 150 (day rate) ), but surprisingly the alloted fund for NREGA for that year is only 2.5 crores (leas than 10%). when asked further he said that is fund allocated to the distrcit. when i asked don't ppl ask for work , then he said officials suppresed the demand by refusing to accept cards by bureaucratic delays. moreover he told me ppl are not aware/educated about the whole scheme.
2 . Acc to act, there should be 1 JE to handle the work for 10-12 villages, but unfortunately here he is handling load of all 200 villages. clearly coming out how the work plan is prepared with such a human capacity.
3 . The Gram Sevak in each Village is paid 2500 rs. per month, with such a lower salary he is not motivated to carry out the work of coordinating the village activities for NREGA efficiently. ( the NREGA worker got 30*150 = 4500 rs. , higher tham gram sevak , how sevak can be motivated to make this happen)
When i finally asked the solution , the answer was mainly in the form of Capactity building for JE's and Gram Sevak with adequate Remuneration along with training.
Secondly he talked to make ppl aware about their proper rights for the scheme.
Moreover the earlier suggestion came to ling NREGA with agriculture atleast in agro prominent states.
So I found one size fit for Nrega is certainly not working , moreover the earlier lacune for rural development is still hindrance both in terms of capacity building and awarenes among ppl.
May be the much proposed NREGA 2.0 by new Rural development Minister Mr. Jairam ramensh help to improve the situation !!
