World's largest employment guarantee program - Conclusion

In this final episode of MGNREGA, we shall look into an important aspect of the scheme which defies the naysayers who complain of MGNREGA funds being misappropriated by the middleman and hence against an central scheme pertaining to involvement in financially consuming job schemes. 

Since Independence, thousands of crores of rupees are spent by the central and state governments and various national agencies for social development programmes. However, the impact it has made is below the expectation. Huge gaps between the desired impact and the actual impact warrant the need to think deeply about their failures.This calls for the introduction of social audit to eliminate loopholes of programme/scheme implementation. Social auditing values the voices of stakeholders, including marginalized/poor groups whose voices are rarely heard, and influences the governance.

With a view to plugging the loopholes, social audit has been integrated
into the MGNREGS. Fundamental objectives of social audit under MGNREGS are to ensure that the activity or project designed and implemented in a manner suitable for the prevailing (local) conditions reflect the priorities and preferences of those affected by it appropriately and serve public interest. Developing a sense of ownership amongst the beneficiaries and empowering the communities through the MGNREGS are also its objectives. Social audit includes the quantity and quality of works in relation to the expenses incurred, disbursement made, number of works/materials used and also selection of works and location of works. Thus, the aim is effective implementation and control of irregularities. Coupled with the Right to Information Act, social audit acts as check bulb in revealing and ultimately reducing corruption, malpractices and deviations.

The main objective of social audit is to ensure public accountability in the implementation of projects, laws and policies (GOI,MoRD,2013). The other objectives include:

1. Assessing the physical and financial gaps between needs and resources
available for local development;

2. Creating awareness among beneficiaries and providers of local social
and productive services;

3. Increasing efficacy and efficiency of local development programmes;

4. Scrutiny of various policy decisions, keeping in view stakeholder
interests and priorities particularly of rural poor and etc.

Source: https://nehu.ac.in/public/downloads/Journals/NEHU-JOURNAL-Jan-Dec-2017-A3.pdf

World's largest employment guarantee program - Part 3

 In this third part series regarding MGNREGA, we would see how the rural job guarantee scheme along with other government schemes acted as a cushion in minimizing the onslaught of corona outbreak on rural economy which otherwise had very much potential in creating an unrest through out the interiors of the country with the arrival of migrant workers from urban areas which experienced shutdowns for months together. 

Along with Prime Minister Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana (PMGKAY), the time-tested job scheme or MGNREGA came as a big relief for millions of migrant workers who returned to their villages in most desperate conditions. As said earlier, the Union government pumped an additional Rs. 40,000 crore to the existing budget allocation for 2020-21 taking it to Rs 1,01,500 crore. Further, wage rate was enhanced from Rs 182 to Rs 202. MGNREGA which acts like social protection by providing 100 days’ work to a member of rural household had generated unprecedented demand during corona lockdown.

To illustrate, a record number of 175.97 crore person days has been created. In a desperate bid for survival, return migrants have steadily turned to the scheme and the job demand has witnessed an unprecedented rise with states like Uttar Pradesh (UP) (57.13 lakh workers), Rajasthan (53.45 lakh workers) and Andhra Pradesh  (36 lakh workers) leading the trend. Reports claim that in at least 26 states, more households have demanded work in the first 25 days of June alone than the average of the past seven years (2013-14 to 2019-20).

However, there were glitches in this too especially meeting the work demand.  As per recent data,  27.78 lakh households in 31 districts of UP availed work during corona year as compared to 6.71 lakh households in the last year. The challenge was that there was no work days left in the state quota for coming months. Similar situation was faced in other states such as Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Odisha, Jharkhand, West Bengal among others. Second issue about MGNREGA is that while the scheme has come as big relief in the time of crisis, its major drawback is it is meant for unskilled workers. The diversification of the scheme is a far cry to which not many governments have paid serious attention. Its scope can easily spread to agriculture, dairy, poultry, horticulture, vegetable cultivation and others allied rural activities, even skill training.

Source: https://www.orfonline.org/expert-speak/covid19-and-indias-informal-workers-a-scrutiny-of-states-response

To be continued....

World's largest employment guarantee program - Part 2

In this second part of the four part series I would like to highlight the role of MGNREGA in adding value to the Constitution of India.

From the MGNREGA government website, MGNREGA provides a legal guarantee for 100 days of employment per year to every rural household in India. This ensures that eligible households have access to a minimum level of employment, helping alleviate poverty and providing a safety net during periods of economic distress.

The primary objective of MGNREGA is to enhance the livelihood security of rural households by promoting sustainable rural development. The program emphasizes the creation of productive assets such as water conservation structures, rural roads, and other infrastructure projects that contribute to the overall development of rural areas.

MGNREGA is designed to be demand-driven, meaning that employment opportunities are created in response to the expressed demand from the rural community. The beneficiaries have the right to demand work, and the government is obligated to provide employment within 15 days of such a demand.

The act promotes the active participation of women in the workforce. One-third of the beneficiaries are women, and efforts are made to ensure that at least 50% of the workers are women. This not only contributes to women's empowerment but also addresses gender disparities in rural employment.

Continued....

World's largest employment guarantee program - Part 1

This loksabha election has given new identity to the central force of Indian governance i.e. our beloved Constitution which was till then a dear only amongst lawyers and department of justice who would refer to the constitution while giving judgement to many cases involving governmental disputes.

As there was an interest created amongst the masses regarding the prowess of constitution which act like a bible to the country citizens while dealing with government agencies, so there are organizations who bicker between each other to identify themselves as custodians of constitution. 

To be true no organization which promotes identity politics and less of ideology based functioning would like to see a strong constitution endangering their individualistic identity.

Having said that a majority of politicians shy away from empowerment of constitution so what else does guarantee an acceptance of our hard earned constitution amongst the masses is the question of the day. The answer is simple it is the government schemes that takes the constitution to nook and corner of the country.

There are many schemes enacted by the government that empowers the stature of the constitution amongst the masses and one such jewel that outshines the others is the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. In a four part series I would like to put forth before you the salient features of MGNREGA act and its various levels of contribution to act as a messenger in bringing the masses into the ambit of the constitution.

Keep watching this space.