NREGA Research Paper-Aster Peng

8/13/2019 NREGA Research Paper-Aster Peng

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Macroanalysis

on

the

status

and

implementationoftheNationalRural

EmploymentGuaranteeAct

AsterPeng


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2

Acknowledgment

Thefinaldraftofmyreportwouldnothavebeenpossiblewithoutthehelpandguidanceofthe

FoundationforSustainableDevelopmentandtheSocietyforthePromotionofWastelandDevelopment.

ThankyouFSDforgivingmetheopportunitytoworkonthisprojectinIndia.Andmostimportantly,this

reportcouldnothavebeenputtogetherwithoutSPWDshelp,knowledge,andguidance:VirenLobo,

ProgramDirector,JunedKomal,Sr.ProgramOfficer,JagdishPurohit,Sr.ProgramOfficer,Jagdeesh

Menon,ProgramOfficer,andRadheshyam,OfficeAssistant.Thankyousomuchforyourguidance,

kindness,andmakingmytimeatSPWDsuchagreatexperience.


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TABLEOFCONTENTS

Chapterone:Introduction 4

Chaptertwo:HistoryandContextofNREGA 7

MaharashtraEGS 9

NREGA 11

Chapterthree:AnalysisofNREGAfromanEcologicalPerspective 16

AnalysisatNationalLevel 20

AnalysisatStateLevel 27

AnalysisatDistrictLevel 30

EcologicalGapsthatneedfunding 32

Chapterfour:ImplementationofNREGA 33

EmploymentGenerated 33

ReleaseofResources 34

Awarenessofprogram 35

Planningofworks 36

Implementationof

works

37

Deploymentoffunctionaries 37

Wagepayment 38

JobCards 39

Unemploymentallowance 43

GrievanceRedressal 44

MonitoringandVigilanceofWorks 44

Capacitybuilding 45

WomeninNREGA 45

MediaPerspective 47

PotentialFutureResearch 50

Annexure 51

References 67


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Chapterone:Introduction

GrowthinIndia

TherecentemergenceofIndiaasaglobalpowersurelyillustratesIndiasachievements.Indiahasshown

spectacular macroeconomic rates of growth, has a booming stock market, and has climbing foreign

investments. Whyjust recently, the World Investment Report of the United Nations Conference on

Trade and Development (UNCTAD) announced India as the second most attractive destination for

ForeignDirectInvestment.

Conventionalmeasures

of

acountrys

well

being,

development,

and

growth

is

usually

measured

by

a

countrysGDP.Intermsofeconomicgrowth,Indias8percentgrowthrateofnationalincomeforthree

consecutive years should surely indicate the countrys success in development. The GDP is the most

predominantmeans inobtainingvaluedoutcomes inthecourseofdevelopment.However,measuring

thewellbeingofacountry intermsofGDP is limited incapturingthewideraspectsofwellbeingand

the contingent process of development. The GDP does indeed capture desirable outcomes and

therefore shows the extent of opportunities available to people. However, it does not capture the

nuancesofexactlywhichpeoplearebenefittingfromthoseopportunitiesandwhicharenot.TheGDP

does not correctly represent the growth of India as a whole because studies show many regional

imbalanceswithinthecountry.

TheNationalHumanDevelopmentReportof2001indicatesthatinIndia,thereisaconsiderable

differenceinthelevelofattainmentsofpeopleonvariousaspectsofwellbeing,dependenton

their place of residence, as well as gender of the person. In general, most indicators show

substantiallylowerlevelsofattainmentsforwomenandforpeoplelivinginruralareas(1).

DeatonandDreze(2002)foundstrongevidenceofdivergenceinpercapitaconsumptionacross

states in the 1990s. Growth rates of per capita expenditure point to a significant increase in

ruralurbaninequalitiesattheallIndialevel,andalsowithinmostindividualstates(2).

Apioneering

study

by

the

Economic

and

Political

Weekly

Research

Foundation

(EPWRF)

found

that lowincomeandpoorlyperformingmajorstatesofUttarPradesh,MadhyaPradesh,Bihar,

Prissa and Assam, have not only persisted with their lowgrowth syndrome but have also

experiencedfurtherdecelerationingrowthratesinthe1990s(2).

Thesestudiesshow that thereare large imbalanceswithin the country. There isagrowingrealization

over the last decade, however, that not addressing issues of equity has been a central failure of

development models. And this neglect has had a decelerating impact on growth itself. Hencethe

paradoxinIndiasgrowth.

NREGAStatusandImplementation


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PovertyinIndia

These significant imbalances in India point to the problems of substantial poverty in Indias most

backwardregions.

The

Planning

Commission,

which

is

the

nodal

official

agency

for

poverty

estimation,

hasestimatedthat27.5%ofthepopulationwaslivingbelowthepovertylinein20042005.Thesource

forthiswasthe61stroundoftheNationalSampleSurvey(NSS)andthecriterionusedwasmonthlyper

capitaconsumptionexpenditurebelowRs.356.35 forruralareasandRs.538.60forurbanareas.This

further shows that despite significant overall growth in India, of the nations population earns less

thanthegovernmentspecifiedpovertythreshold.Furthermore,povertyismoreconcentratedincertain

regions than others: the World Banks latest country report, "India: Policies to Reduce Poverty and

Accelerate Sustainable Development," released in Feb 2000 notes that there is a wide disparity in

poverty across and between Indian states. More than 40% of people in six states (Maharashtra,

Rajasthan,MadhyaPradesh,UttarPradesh,OrissaandBihar)livebelowthepovertylinewiththefigure

inBihar

being

as

high

as

60%.

Most

of

the

poor

states

are

bankrupt

and

cannot

spend

on

social

sectors.

The reporturges thatasecondwave of reformswouldbecrucialtoboost Indiasgrowthand reduce

poverty.

ProblemsplaguingLackoflivelihoodforpeoplelivinginpoverty

Why are the poor in India struggling to secure livelihood for themselves? To be able to solve this

question, we have to get to the root of the problem. Many studies point to agriculture and

infrastructureasthemostimportantissuesrelevanttorurallivelihood.

Agriculture

About70%ofthepopulation,andabout75%ofthepoor, live inruralareasandmostdependon

agriculture,statesTheWorldBank.Agricultureprovides livelihoodto60%of theruralpeopleand

remainsvitalforfoodsecurity. Inrecentyears,theslowdown inagriculturalgrowthhasbecomea

majorcauseforconcern.

SlowdowninAgriculturalgrowth: Inthepastdecade,Indiasagriculturalgrowthsloweddown

tolessthan2percentperyear,comparedtoabout3.5percentperannuminprecedingdecade.

Inthepooreststates,suchasMadhyaPradesh,Orissa,andRajasthan,growthinthelastdecade

was below 1 percent per year. The stagnation of agriculture and the high proportion of poor

dependenton

it

are

major

concerns

of

India.

LowAgriculturalProductivity:Withthefixedavailabilityof landandwater,higheragricultural

growth can only be achieved by increasing productivity through effective use of better

technology. Yields of major crops (food grains, oilseeds, other cash crops) in India are lower

than in many other countries for example, rice yields inIndia are onethird of Chinas and

abouthalfof those inVietnamand Indonesia.Averageyieldsarewellbelowthoseattained in

crop trialswithin Indiaitself. Moreover,yields inmanyofIndia'spooreststates (Bihar,Orissa,

Rajasthan,Northeast states) are far below those of the richerstates (Punjab, Haryana, Tamil

Nadu). The virtual collapse of the agricultural extension system in most states limits farmers'


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________ Chaptertwo:HistoryandContextofNREGA

S.Mahendra

Dev

states

how

rural

works

programs

have

become

important

instruments

in

the

strategies

for alleviating poverty and hunger in many developing countries (4). This concept has been well

recognizedforalongtime.Forexample,inIndia,employmentprovisionhasbeenusedextensivelyasa

toolforprotectingentitlementsforcenturies.SincethefourthcenturyB.C.,whenKautilya,theancient

IndianpoliticaleconomistwrotehisArthasastra,Indiasrulersandgovernmentshaveemphasizedpublic

reliefworks,particularlyduringfamine.Employmentinpublicworkslaterbecamethemainelementof

strategiesforcriticalperiodsinIndia.

Raghav

Gaiha

states

that

even

if

land

reforms

are

carried

out

successfully

and

the

beneficiaries

are

provided with access to credit and modern agricultural inputs, a large fraction of the rural poor in a

densely populated agrarian economysuch as Indiais likely to remain unaffected simply because

thereisnotenoughsurpluslandtodistributeamongthem(5).Furthermore,thepotentialbeneficiaries

mayfindthattheincomefromcultivationofsmallplotsfallsshortofsubsistencerequirements.Mostof

thosewithoutaccesstolandareforcedtorelyprimarilyonagriculturalemploymentwithlongseasonal

spellsof inactivity. In such a context,Rural Public Works have a potentially significant role inpoverty

alleviation.Also,giventhedifficultiesoftargetingantipoverty interventions,thereisastrongneedfor

theseprograms.Specifically,throughaworkrequirement,theseprogramsareexpectedtoexcludethe

moreaffluentsections.

After Indias independence, many employment programs have been created during times of need in

India. And even though the programs provided temporarily relief, it did not solve Indias long term

problemofchronicpoverty.Somereasonswhytheseprogramswerenotsustainableinthelongrunare

asfollows:

1.) Thejobs created by theseprograms werecasualjobstemporary in natureand worked

moreassupplementarysourcesofemploymentintimesofcrisis.

2.) Theseprograms

did

not

provide

large

scale

adequate

relief.

They

have

provided

some

relief

to the rural areas, but their reach has been inadequate in view of the magnitude of the

unemploymentproblem in India.These programs createdjust 44 lakhjobsa year (before

the NREGA was implemented)a small number compared to the gigantic employment

demandinruralareas.

3.) Despiteastatedfocusoncreationofdurableassetsatvillagesforlivelihoodgeneration,the

programs failed miserably on this account. Going by various evaluations done by

government and independent agencies, a large part of the funds spent under these

programs was used in more capitalintensive activities such as building roads and

ThelinkbetweenRuralPublicworkProgramsandPovertyAlleviation

Weaknessesin

Rural

Public

Work

Programs


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governmenthouses,ratherthaninlaborintensiveactivities.Productiveassetswerenevera

priority.

Thereis

one

program

that

attempts

to

solve

these

previous

shortcomings.

In

the

semi

arid

region

to

which the state of Maharashtra in India belongs, agriculture is a highlyseasonal activity. During lean

periods, largenumbers of rural householdsekeout abaresubsistence throughshortspellsofmostly

unremunerativeemployment.TheaimoftheMaharashtraEmploymentGuaranteeScheme(EGS)isto

address this problem by providing guaranteed employment at a wage level sufficient to ensure a

minimum level of subsistence. Not only does the program aim to solve this shortterm problem, but

also, the program has a longterm developmental role as well. By reducing risks faced by poor

households, and by constructing productive assets and infrastructure, this program is aimed to be

sustainableinalleviatingthechronicproblemofpovertyinIndia.

Theimportant

difference

between

EGS

and

previous

programs

is

the

element

of

guarantee.


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ThesignificantdifferenceinEGSthatsetsitapartfromotheremploymentprogramsisthatitguarantees

the right to work.Hence, the EGS is viewed as a permanentprogram that is required to ensure a

recognized basic human right to work. The EGS facilitates collective political action by the poor,

promotingpowerandmakingpoliticiansmoreresponsivetothedemandsofthepoor.Programsbefore

were mostly temporary programs used to deal with an economic and social crisis, rather than as

commitment to ajob guarantee to fulfill a human right. In that respect, EGS is a model to build on

becauseitalwaysrecognizedemploymentasahumanright,whichinturn,promotedEGSasanecessary

andpermanentsystem.

StudiesshowthatEGS issuccessfullytargetedtothepoor,eventhough it isopentoallruraladults.It

provides about a third of the income of the typical poor family. The EGS reduces employment and

underemployment by 10% 30%, and accounts for about half the number of days of employment of

participants.

EGSwashighlysuccessfulinthesefollowingareas:


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EmpowermentofwomenInRuralMaharashtra,EGSisknownastheprogramofwomen.The

proportionofwomenamongEGSlaborersiscloseto45%.EGSisanimportantsourceofgainful

employment for women, which contributes to their economic independence and social

empowerment.

Economic benefits EGS contributes to the creation of rural assets such a roads, percolation

tanks,etc.thatboostagriculturalgrowthandwages.ThereisalsoevidencethattheEGSraises

agricultural wages by strengthening the bargaining power of rural laborers, and protects the

ruralpoorfromseasonalfluctuationsinemploymentandincome.Furthermore,EGShashelped

tocontainruralurbanmigration,byexpandingemploymentopportunitiesinruralareas.

MobilizationofpoorConcentratinglargenumbersofworkersinoneplaceinsimilarconditions

and increasing their interaction has helped to break down social differences. It has been

possibleto

organize

agricultural

laborers,

who

are

otherwise

scattered

and

disorganized,

to

fight

against oppression and exploitation. If employment is an entitlement then EGS can facilitate

effectivepoliticalactionbythepoorandcanpromotetherealizationoftheircommoninterest

bymakingruralpoliticiansmoreresponsivetothedemandsofthepoor.

AllofthesesuccessesledtotheexpansionofEGSandconsequently,anewlawthathasbeenpassedin

2005NREGAthatisheavilybasedonthefoundationsandideasofEGS.

TheNREGAhasgivenalegalinstrumentinthehandsofthepoorbasedonthedemandoftheworker.

Theobligationtorespondtodemandisalegalcompulsion.NREGAhasauniversalreachinalltheareas

wherethislawapplies.Indiaisthefirstcountrytoofferalegalguaranteelikethisonsuchan

unprecedentedscaleandithopestoempowerthepoortofightpoverty,disease,andindebtedness.

ThisEmploymentGuaranteeActisthemostsignificantlegislationofour

timesinmanyways.Forthefirsttime,ruralcommunitieshavebeengivennot

justadevelopmentprogrambutaregimeofrights.ThisActwillalsounlock

thepotentialoftheruralpoortocontributetothereconstructionoftheir

environment.TheNREGAgiveshopetothosewhohadallbutlosttheirhope.

Ithasaclearfocusonthepoorestofthepoor.Itseekstoreachouttothose

inneedoflivelihoodsecurity.TheNREGAgivesemployment,givesincome,

givesalivelihood,anditgivesachancetolivealifeofselfrespectand

dignity.

Prime

Minister

Dr.

Manmohan

Singh

TheNationalRuralEmploymentGuaranteeAct


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ThoughmodeledontheEGSofMaharashtra,therearecertaingrayareasinNREGAascomparedtoEGS.

AndcertainpointswhichmakeNREGAmorepowerfulthanEGS.

NREGA

EGS

Purpose

Alleviateunemploymentandpoverty Mitigatedroughtsituationandpreventmigration

100daysinayeartoaruralfamily 365daysinayeartoeachunemployedunskilled

person

Meantforruralarea ImplementedinRuralareaandClassCof

municipalwardsinsemiurbanarea

Natureofjob

Proportionofjobs

Unskilled(60)andSkilled(40)

Specialattentionthatwomengetwork

Proportionofjobs

Unskilled(60)andSkilled(40)

Waterconservation(51)Roads(49)

Implementingagency

JillaParishad DistrictCollectoranddistrictleveladministration

GramPanchayatandNGOs

AgencyresponsibleforPlanning

JillaParishad,GramPanchayat,GramSabha Districtandblockleveladministration

DailywagessuggestednotlessthanRs60/ (State

governmentshavebeenaskedtofixthewages

basedon

the

agricultural

wages

in

the

respective

areas.)

AsperMinimumwagesact

FundedbyGovernment

Proportionofcontribution

Uniongovernment90%

Stategovernment10%

Contributionofpeoplehavingjobtothosenot

havingthroughvarioustaxesandlevies

CompensationRs25,000/ CompensationRs50,000/

Peoplesparticipation

CouncilsonNationalandStatelevel

GramPanchayats,GramSabhasandNGOs.

Committeesatvillage,blockanddistrictlevels.

Alsoatlegislativeassembly

SocialAudit

SocialAuditthroughGramSabha. SocialAuditthroughattendancesheetsatGram

Panchayats

SocialAuditinpresenceofthevillagers

Yearlyreporttobetabledintherespectivestate

assemblies

ConsolidatedreporttobesubmittedtoParliament

everyyear.

SocialAuditinpresenceofgovernmentofficers

andSarpanch.

CopytobeexhibitedatChavdi(Chaupal).


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AnalysisofNREGAwithrespecttoEGS

Thoughboththeprogramsaddresstheissueofpoverty,thereisadifferenceinthepurpose,natureand

processof

implementation

between

EGS

and

NREGA.

To

understand

the

differences

lead

to

agreater

understandingofthestrengthsandweaknessesofNREGAitself.

Funds

InNREGA,theguaranteeofemploymenttothepoorissolelydependingupontheguaranteeof

funds.NREGAisgovernmentfundedwhereasEGSisacontributionorapartnershipofpeople

andgovernment.NREGAaskscentral(90%)andstategovernments(10%)toprovidemoney.

Stategovernmentsareinnopositiontobeareven10%oftheburdenandthatcouldprovetobe

oneoftheweaklinksofthescheme.

Managementfor

Implementation

InEGS,thereisatopdownstyleofmanagement.Thelineagencies,whicharefarremovedfrom

thepolicycenter,arelikelytomakeunsystematicchoiceofassetsdependingprimarilyontheir

employmentpotential.(Itisduetothisbias,forexample,thatmoreroadscontinuetobebuilt

inwaterstarvedJawharinpreferencetowaterandsoilconservationworks).

TheadvantageofNREGAisthroughitsbottomupstyleofimplementationwhichprovides

betterlocationandtimingofprojectsbasedontheidentificationofspecificsectionsofthepoor

throughcarefulpanchayatbasedmanpowerplanning.

However,thereisadangerofdoorwayforathirdpartyinNREGAwithvestedinterestswho

couldpossiblymakeproposalsonbehalfofvillages.

100daysofworkversuswholeyearrelevantscheme

NREGAguarantees100daysofworkforeveryhousehold.Itspecifiesthatthewageswillnotbe

lessthatRs.60/ perdaywithspecialemphasisonthepoorestofpoorandwomenwhomust

formatleastonethirdofthebeneficiaries..

Under

EGS,

a

poor

couple

is

guaranteed

624

days

of

work

in

a

year

(assuming

work

for

6

days

a

weekfor52weeksayear).TheNREGAguaranteesonly100daysforthatcouple.Ifthe

guaranteeisforpovertyeradication,thelimitof100dayswillworktothedisadvantageofthe

ruralpeople.Also,implementingtheceilingof100dayswillnotbeeasy.Itwillonlyaddtothe

burdenandcostsofadministration.

Therearelargeandsmallfamilies.NREGAwouldworktothedisadvantageofjointfamiliesand

thesecondwivesofmen.Thiscouldleadtofamilyquarrelsanddivisions.

UnemploymentAllowanceNREGAoffersmore


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Thereisaprovisionofunemploymentallowanceforthosewhocannotbeprovidedworkinspite

ofproperdemandbeingmadeinboththeschemes.Theunemploymentallowancehasbeen

peggedat1/4ththewagerate(Rs15/)forthefirst30daysandthenofthewagerate(Rs30/

)fortheremaining70days.

PossibleentryofMachines

ItismentionedinNREGAthatAsfaraspracticable,ataskfundedundertheSchemeshallbe

performedmanually.Doesitmeanmachinescouldbeallowed?InEGS,machinesarebanned

byrule.

DetailsoftheGuarantee:

1.Eligibility:Anypersonwhoisabovetheageof18andresidesinruralareasisentitledtoapply

forwork.

2.Entitlement:Anyapplicantisentitledtoworkwithin15days,forasmanyashe/shehas

applied,subjecttoalimitof100daysperhouseholdperyear.

3.Distance:Workistobeprovidedwithinaradiusof5kilometersoftheapplicantsresidenceif

possible,andinanycasewithintheBlock.Ifworkisprovidedbeyond5kilometers,travel

allowanceshavetobepaid.

4.Wages:Workersareentitledtothestatutoryminimumwageapplicabletoagricultural

laborersinthestate,unlessanduntiltheCentralGovernmentnotifiesadifferentwagerate.If

theCentralGovernmentnotifies,thewagerateissubjecttoaminimumofRs.60perday.

5.Timelypayment:Workersaretobepaidweekly,orinanycasenotlaterthanafortnight.

Paymentofwagesistobemadedirectlytothepersonconcernedinthepresenceof

independentpersonsofthecommunityonpreannounceddates.

HighlightsofNREGAProvisions


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6.Unemploymentallowance:Ifworkisnotprovidedwithin15days,applicantsareentitledto

anunemploymentallowance:onethirdofthewagerateforthefirstthirtydays,andonehalf

thereafter.

7.Worksitefacilities:Laborersareentitledtovariousfacilitiesattheworksitesuchasclean

drinkingwater,shadeforperiodsofrest,emergencyhealthcare,andchildminding.

Employmentguaranteescheme

1.EmploymentGuaranteeScheme:EachstategovernmenthastoputinplaceanEmployment

GuaranteeSchemewithinsixmonthsoftheActcomingintoforce.

2.Permissibleworks:AlistofpermissibleworksisgiveninScheduleIoftheAct.Theseare

concernedmainly

with

water

conservation,

minor

irrigation,

land

development,

rural

roads,

etc.

However,theSchedulealsoallowsanyotherworkwhichmaybenotifiedbytheCentral

GovernmentinconsultationwiththeStateGovernment.

3.ProgramOfficer:TheRuralEmploymentGuaranteeSchemeistobecoordinatedattheBlock

levelbyaProgramOfficer.However,theActallowsanyofhis/herresponsibilitiestobe

delegatedtotheGramPanchayats.

4.Implementingagencies:Worksaretobeexecutedbyimplementingagencies.These

include,firstandforemost,theGramPanchayats(theyaresupposedtoimplementhalfofthe

works),but

implementing

agencies

may

also

include

other

Panchayati

Raj

Institutions,

line

departmentssuchasthePublicWorksDepartmentorForestDepartment,andNGOs.

5.Contractors:Privatecontractorsarebanned.

6.Decentralizedplanning:AshelfofprojectsistobemaintainedbytheProgramOfficer,based

onproposalsfromtheimplementingagencies.EachGramPanchayatisalsosupposedto

prepareashelfofworksbasedontherecommendationsoftheGramSabha.

7.Transparencyandaccountability:TheActincludesvariousprovisionsfortransparencyand

accountability,such

as

regular

social

audits

by

the

Gram

Sabhas,

mandatory

disclosure

of

musterrolls,publicaccessibilityofalldocuments,regularupdatingofjobcards,etc.

Otherprovisions

1.Participationofwomen:Priorityistobegiventowomenintheallocationofwork,insucha

waythatatleastonethirdofthebeneficiariesshallbewomen.

2.Penalties:TheActstatesthatwhoevercontravenestheprovisionsofthisActshallon

convictionbeliabletoafinewhichmayextendtoonethousandrupees.


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3.StateCouncil:TheimplementationoftheActistobemonitoredbyaStateEmployment

GuaranteeCouncil.

4.Costsharing:TheCentralGovernmenthastopayforlaborcostsand75%ofthematerial

costs.Stategovernmentshavetopaytheunemploymentallowanceand25%ofthematerial

costs.

5.Timeframe:TheActistocomeintoforceinitiallyin200districts,andistobeextendedtothe

wholeofruralIndiawithinfiveyearsofitsenactment.

_________________________________Chapterthree: StatusofNREGAfromanEcologicalPerspective

TheImportanceofRegeneratingEcologicalResource

The Foundation for Ecological Security states that themajorweaknessesofmanyof the pastpoverty

alleviationschemeshavebeentheinadequateemphasisoncreatingcommunitycapabilitiesanddurable

assetsthatenhancethelivelihoodsecurityandaugmentthenaturalresources(7).Previousexperiences

showthatforruralpovertytobemitigatedorreversedtherehastobeagreateremphasisonsystematic

and comprehensive rural area development that focus on the regeneration of the agroecological

resources.

Indiais

facing

acrisis

as

it

generates

more

poverty

than

it

eradicates.

Excessive

focus

on

conventional

economic growth as the instrument of poverty alleviation has not worked. Economic growth has not

generated employment. FES stresses that one must understand that Indias poverty problem is

ecological based. India being a dominantly biomassbased society, ecological degradation triggers

povertyhere.Thesolution lies inregeneratingtheecologywiththepeopleatthehelmoftheaffairs.

Healthylandsandecosystems,whenusedinsustainableways,canprovideallthewealththatisneeded

foreconomicallyviableandhealthylives.Thechallengetodayliesinempoweringandmobilizingpeople

toenablethemtoescapefromtheirecologicalpovertyinordertocreatenaturalwealth,anddevelopa

robusteconomy.


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Ecological assets like land and forests are the key employment sources for rural people in India. Any

attempttocreateemploymentmustfocusonthesesectors.TheNREGA,withfocusonassetscreation,

attempts to be relevant to local needs. But it does not do enough to address the institutional and

management gaps that exist in theprograms of soil, water and forestconservation. These are fragile

assets.Theyrequiremanagementandmaintenance.This iswheretheNREGAmustbeworkedon.The

challenge is to use the Act to solve the problem of creating sustainable livelihoods through asset

creationfacilitatetheuseofecologyforeconomy.

Natureofphysicalassetcreation

UnderNREGA

there

is

alist

of

preferred

works

that

must

be

undertaken

using

the

employment

opportunity.Thetablebelowdetailsexactworkstobeundertakenineachofthepreferredworks.

Typesofwork Natureofwork

Waterconservationandharvesting Diggingnewtanks/ponds,smallcheckdams,

others,etc

Droughtproofingandplantation Aforestationandtreeplantation,others

Floodcontrolandprotection Drainageinwaterloggedareas,constructionand

repairofembarkment,others

Landdevelopment Plantation,landleveling,others

MicroIrrigationWorks Minorirrigationcanals,others

Renovationof

Traditional

Water

Bodies

Desilting

tanks/ponds,

Desilting

of

old

canals,

Desiltingoftraditionalopenwell,others

ProvisionofIrrigationfacilitylandownedby Scheduledcasteandscheduletribes,beneficiaries

oflandreform,others

Ruralconnectivity Constructionofroads,others

Anyotheractivityapprovedbyministryofrural

development

Otherworks,etc.

Source:UnionministryofRuralDevelopment

HoweachworkrelatestoEcologicalRegeneration:


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Ruralconnectivity

Themainnatureofworkhere istheconstructionofroadsandthemainpurpose istoconnect

villagesto

national

highways

and

thus

facilitates

connectivity

with

markets.

ProvisionofIrrigationfacilityland

These are facilities provided by the government to the people to make their land more

productive. UnderNREGA,ruralpeoplecanusetheacttodeveloptheirown landtomake it

productiveaswellasobtainwages.

RenovationofTraditionalWaterBodies

Thisconsistsofworkssuchaswidening,deepening,desilting,andremovalofvegetation,with

the

purpose

of

collecting

more

water

in

the

water

bodies.

By

collecting

more

water,

rural

peoplewillbeabletohavebettersupportsystemsforagriculture,livestock,etc.

MicroIrrigationWorks

Irrigationmakesitpossibletodoubletheproductivityoflandbytakingasecondcropandithas

an important protective role in case of monsoon failure, which is common especially in

Rajasthan.Suchworksincludedevelopingvermincompostpits,biogas,etc.

LandDevelopment

Land leveling makes the land more productive by making the land suitable for agriculture.

Contourbundingandsmalltrenchescanbedonetoretainmoistureinthesoil.

Floodcontrolandprotection

Duringfloods,waterwillerodethesurfaceandwashawaythetopsoil.Workisaimedtoprotect

soilerosionandsoilloss.

Droughtproofingandplantation

Theseworkshavethepurposeofremovinguselessvegetationfromparticularland.

Waterharvesting

and

conservation

These works consist of digging new tanks/ponds, small check dams. Proper planning for

retainingwatermakessurethereisnowaterloss.

Thoughtherehasbeenanincreaseinthenumberofworksunderwaterconservation,incomparisonto

thetotalnumberofworksunderNREGA,thishascomedownbyaround3.5percentinthelastfive

months.Inothercomponents,thereisamarkedincrease.Floodcontrolanddroughtproofingremain

thetwoleastpreferredworks.

PercentagesbreakupofpreferredworkstototalworksNATIONAL


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19

Waterconservationaccountsfor53percentofthetotalworksuntilDecember.Sevenstateshavenot

undertakenanyworkonwaterconservation.Ontheotherhand,10statesaccountfor91percentof

totalwaterconservationworksunderNREGA.Thispointstothefactthatfocusonwaterconservationis

notuniformacrossthe27statesimplementingNREGA.

Source:Unionministryofruraldevelopment,December2006

StudyonUnevenSpreadofWaterConservationWorks

CSEsNRML

unit

analyzed

data

accessed

from

the

ministry

of

rural

development

to

put

in

place

atrend

analysis on what types of works are being given priority under the scheme (August 2006). The NGO

statesthatdevelopmenteffectivenessoftheNREGAcruciallydependsonwhattypesofworks itgives

priority to. A trend analysis points that NREGA is on the right track to begin with but shows signs of

driftingaway.

CreationofproductiveassetsisoneofthemainobjectivesofNREGA.Productiveassetslikewatertanks

will lead to sustainable livelihoods at village level thus reducing poverty. This Act has fixed a set of

preferred works to be undertaken under its implementation. Water conservation and drought

proofingarepriorityactivitiesbesidesruralconnectivity.

Overall water conservation works remain a priority going by current and completed works under the

NREGA.Butitseemsthatnotallstatesaregivingequalprioritytowaterconservation.Rather itshows

that a handful of states are giving more importance to water conservation while many states seem

bypassingthewatersector.Tenstatesare implementingcloseto97percentofallwaterconservation

works being undertaken under the scheme. Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand and Madhya Pradesh alone

contribute76percentofthetotalwaterconservationworksthoughtheyconstituteonefourthoftotal

200districts.

RefertoTable1inAnnexure


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20

DroughtProofingLagging

CSEwentontostatethatdroughtproofingandplantationsectorsseemtobelaggingbehinddespitethe

factthat

94

out

of

200

districts

are

officially

declared

drought

prone,

and

another

eight

of

them

are

underdesertdevelopmentschemes.CSEsanalysisshowsthatitisinthefourthpositionbasedon

numberofworksbeingundertaken.Only10percentoftotalworksundertheNREGAarerelatedto

droughtproofingandplantation.Interesting,AssamandKarnataka,bothfacingseveredroughtthis

year,haveundertakentheleastnumberofdroughtproofingworks.

OnlyMadhyaPradeshisimplementingaround66percentoftotaldroughtproofingworksunderthe

NREGA.DespiteseveredroughtsinKarnatakaandAssam,theirspendingondroughtproofingremains

negligible.

RefertoTable2inAnnexure

Formyanalysis,IamlookingatthesefourstatesthatareindifferentgeographicallocationsofIndia:

Rajasthan(Western)

Orissa(Eastern)

Kerala(Southern)

MadhyaPradesh(Eastern)

RefertoTable3inAnnexureforaGeographicalMapofIndia

AgroEcologicalSummaryofeachstate(8):

Rajasthan(Western)

o HotAridandHotSemiAridEcoregion.TheeasternportionofRajasthansclimateregion

ischaracterizedbyhotandwetsummeranddrywinter.Theannualprecipitationinthe

region ranges from 500 to 1000 mm. It covers 40 to 50 per cent of the annual PET

demand(1600to2000mm)resulting ingrossannualwaterdeficitof800to1200mm.

The parts of the district Banswara (Rajasthan) are subject to drought hazard once in

threeyears.Thefrequentinterdroughtspellsofleadtocropfailureandtheregionthus

earmarkedasdroughtpronearea.

AnalysisofworksatNationalLevel


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21

o InthewesternportionofRajasthan,annualprecipitation is lessthan400mm.It isjust

adequate to cover 1520 per cent of annual PET demand (1500 and 2000 mm). This

resultsinlargedeficitofwater(15001800mm)throughouttheyear.

o Constraints

Theintermittentdryspellperiods.

Erraticandscantyrainfallleadingtohighwaterdeficit.

Orissa(Eastern)

o HotSubhumidtoSemiAridEcoregion.Receives1200to1600mmofrainfallof

which 80 percent is received as during June toSept. ThePET variesbetween1400 to

1700mm.Theannualdeficitofwateris600to800mm.

o Contraints

Imperfect

to

poor

drainage

conditions

and

limiting

oxygen

availability

adversely

affectcropyield.

Theareaispronetocycloneduringmonsoonandretreatingmonsoonperiods.

Kerala(South)

o Hot Humid Eco region. The climate is characterized by hot and humid summer and

warmwinter.Themeanannualtemperaturevariesbetween25Cand28C.Themean

annual rainfallexceeds 2000 mm inmost of the areas. The waterbalance shows that

rainfallexceedsPETdemand (14001600mm) inmostof themonths,exceptseasonal

deficitof300to400mmduringFebruarytomidApril.

o Constraints

Waterlogging,resultingfromimperfectdrainageconditionsaffectscropgrowth

inthecoastalplains.

Steepslopes,causingrunoff,leadstoseveresoilerosion.

MadhyaPradesh(Central)

o Hot Semi Arid Eco region. The climate of the region is characterized by hot and wet

summeranddrywinter.Theannualprecipitationintheregionrangesfrom500to1000

mm.Itcovers40to50percentoftheannualPETdemand(1600to2000mm)resulting

ingrossannualwaterdeficitof800to1200mm. JhabuaandDhar(M.P.)aresubjectto

drought

hazard

once

in

three

years.

The

frequent

inter

drought

spells

lead

to

crop

failureandtheregionisearmarkedasdroughtpronearea.

o Constraints

Theintermittentdryspellperiods.

DataCollectedonWorksCompletedandExpenditureoneachworkineachstate:


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22

Source:MinistryofRuralDevelopment, 20072008


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23

Source:MinistryofRural

Development, 20072008

FloodControl

1%

Rural

Connectivity

58%

Water

Conservation

36%

Drought

Proofing

3%

Other

3%

Numberof

Works

(Completed

and

Ongoing)

in

Orissa

in 20072008

No.of totalworks

Flood Control:223

RuralConnectivitiy:

22512

WaterConservation:

14145

DroughtProofing:

1003

Other:1192

Total:39075




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24


Source:MinistryofRuralDevelopment,20072008


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25

SSource:MinistryofRuralDevelopment,20072008



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26



SummaryofAnalysis:

Similaritybetweenworkscompletedandexpenditureonworksacrossalldatatables

o InRajasthan,ruralconnectivityworkscompletedis37%andruralconnectivity

expenditureis42%,only5%difference

o InRajasthanbothworkscompletedandexpenditureonwaterconservationis39%.

o Theorderofpreferenceinworkscompletedandexpenditureisalsoalmostthesame.In

works

completed

in

Rajasthan,

water

conservation

is

first,

and

rural

connectivity

follows,

whereasinexpenditure,ruralconnectivityispreferredaheadofwaterconservation.

However,preferencesindroughtproofing,otherworks,floodcontrol,aresimilar.

o Allacrosstheotherthreestates,thereisasimilaritybetweenworkscompletedand

expenditureonworksaswell.

SocioEconomicfactorsinfluence

o ComparingworkspreferredinRajasthanandOrissa,ruralconnectivityisthenumber

onepreferredworkforboth.MadhyaPradeshandKeralahaveruralconnectivityasa

lesspreferredwork.


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27

o ThedistrictscoveredinNREGAinRajasthanandOrissamainlyconsistofmoretribal

communitiesthanMadhyaPradeshandKerala.Becausethesedistrictsconsistofmore

tribalcommunities,itispoorlyconnected.Therefore,ruralconnectivityisthenumber

onepreferredworkinthesetwostates,eventhoughinthecountry,itisnotoneofthe

preferredworks.

AgroEcologicalfactorsinfluence

o MadhyaPradeshiscentrallylocated,sothereislessamountofrainfall,andistherefore

markedasadroughtpronearea.TherearealsolesstribalcommunitiesinMadhya

PradeshthanRajasthan,sotherefore,waterconservationcomesoutasthenumberone

preferredwork,andruralconnectivityfollowssecond.

o InMadhyaPradesh,floodcontrolisnear0%becausefloodisnotamajorissuedueto

the

ecological

conditions

o Keralahasrelativelyrichrainfall,withanannualprecipitationofaround2600mm.Due

totheagroecologicalconditions,thetwomainissuesintheareaiswaterlogging,

resultingfromimperfectdrainageconditions,andseveresoilerosionbecauseofsteep

slopeswhichcauserunoff.Therefore,thetwomainpreferredworksinKeralaisflood

controlandwaterconservation.

NumberofWorksandExpenditureonworksinRajasthan:

AnalysisofworksatStateLevel


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28



Notethatthereisasimilaritybetweenworkscompletedandexpenditureonworksacrossall

datatables,againaswell.


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29

AgroEcologicalZonesinRajasthan

SummaryofAgroEcologicalCharacteristicsinRajasthan:

Lowanderraticrainfallisthemostconspicuousfeatureofthearid/semiaridregions.The

naturalrainfallvariabilityisveryhigh:thereisalargeyeartoyearvariationinthetotalannual

rainfallandthedistributionoftherainacrossregionswithineachyear.Therefore,rainfall

patternsare

unpredictable

and

are

subject

to

great

fluctuations.

Rajasthanisthemostwaterstressedstateinthecountry.Thestatehasonly1%ofthecountry's

waterresourcesandsupports5.5%ofcountry'spopulationspreadover10%ofthecountry's

totalarea.Groundwaterdepletionisthebiggestthreattowatersector.Outof237blocksof

state,only32blocksareconsideredsafe,therestareallconsideredunsafe.

Waterconservation,preservationandsystematicutilizationofeverydropofwaternow

constitutethebasisforwaterresourceplanninginthestate.Thatsprobablywhyalmosthalfof

NREGAfundsareallocatedtowaterconservation.


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30

MainSourcesofLivelihoodinRajasthan

AstudydonebyAajeevikaonlivelihoods(3)inRajasthanidentifiedtwomainsourcesof

livelihoodin

the

state,

agriculture

and

animal

husbandry.

Agriculture

Agricultureremainsthesinglemostimportantsourceofhouseholdincomeinmostregionsin

thestate.Despitelowrainfall,manypartsofRajasthanhavewitnessedaprocessofagricultural

intensification.Amongthefouragroecologicalzones,agricultureintensificationiswidespread

intheSemiAridNorthCentralandCanalIrrigatedEast.Evenintheothertwoareas,thereare

pocketsofagricultureintensification.Thuscommercializationofagricultureseemsfeasibleeven

inrainfedconditionsprovidedcertainotherconditionsarefavorable.

Irrigationisoneofthebasicpreconditionsfortheprocessofintensification.Irrigationmakesit

possibletodoubletheproductivityoflandbytakingasecondcropandithasanimportant

protectiveroleincaseofmonsoonfailure,whichiscommoninRajasthan.Significant

proportionsofcultivatedlandarenowunderirrigationindifferentzonesofRajasthan.Irrigation

isalmostonehundredpercentinthecanalirrigatedareasandoverathirdofcultivatedlandis

underirrigationintheNorthCentralandTribalZones;onlyintheDesertWestisirrigationstill

verylimited.

Lookingatthedata,expenditureonirrigationworksonlyaccountfor7%oftotalmoneyspent

on

works,

perhaps

there

should

be

an

increase

in

this

area.

AnimalHusbandry

ThesignificanceofanimalhusbandryseemstobetrueacrossagroclimaticzonesinRajasthan,

asborneoutbytherelativeimportanceofthisactivitybothintermsoftheoccupational

classificationoftheworkforce,aswellastheanalysisofhouseholdincomes.

Animalhusbandryisanimportantsourceofsupplementaryincomethroughoutthestate,

accountingfor

about

fifteen

per

cent

of

household

incomes

across

all

regions.

Household

incomeanalysisindicatesthatthecontributionofanimalhusbandryisaroundfifteenpercentall

overRajasthan,varyingfromalowof13.5percentintheTribalAreastoahighof17.8percent

intheSemiAridzone.

Droughtalsohasasevereimpactonanimalhusbandrywithincreasingfodderpricesleading

manyfarmerstoevenabandontheiranimals.

Lookingatthedata,expenditureondroughtproofingworksonlyaccountfor5%oftotalmoney

spentonworks,perhapsthereshouldbeanincreaseinthisarea.


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33

SignificanceofAgroForestry(notincludedunderworksfundedinNREGA)

RefertoTable4forpercentageofforestcoverin200districtsofNREGAstates.Thedatashows

that23%

of

the

areas

covered

under

NREGA

consist

of

forests.

Agroforestry,alsocalledfarmforestry,isacollectivenameforlandusesystemsinwhich

woodyplantsliketreesandshrubsaregrowninassociationwithcropsinaspatial

arrangements,andinwhichthereareecologicalandeconomicinteractionsbetweenthewoody

andcropcomponentsofthesystems.Agroforestryisseenasameansof:

o Providinganalternativesourceoftimerandfuelneedsandthusprotectingforests

o Providingstableincometothefarmers

o Enhancingenvironmentalvaluesoftheregion

o Enhancingtheproductivityofagriculture

Inadditiontoabove,agroforestryoperationsoffermanyecosystemservicesincludingthe

sequestrationofcarbon,maintenanceofhydrologicalbalancesthatpreventdrylandsalinity,andthe

purificationofwater.Agroforestryalsopotentiallycomplementstheconservationofbiodiversityif

nativetreesandshrubspeciesareused(7).

Therefore,ifagroforestryhasthepotentialtoprovidelivelihoods,enhanceproductivityinagriculture,

aswellasconserveforests,itshouldbefundedunderNREGA.

__ ___Chapterfour:ImplementationofNREGA


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35


Employmentgenerationisverylowinthisdatatable,withWestBengalalmostatzero.

PerhapsthisindicatesthatcertainstudiespaintabrighterpictureofNREGAthanhowitreallyis

functioningatthegroundlevel.

Source:PACSstudy2006

Releaseof

Resources


36/68

36

DatabasedoffThePoorestAreaCivilSociety(PACS)Programmestudy.

UnderNREGA,the state governments aresupposed to create a fundcalled the State

EmploymentGuarantee

Fund,

which

will

receive

the

grant

from

the

Central

Government.

Thestateshavetoprovide10%ofthetotalamountsanctionedforimplementationofthe

scheme.

ThePACSstudystatesthatmoststateshavecompliedbyallocatingthestatesshare.Thedata

availablefromdifferentstatesrevealsthatBihar,Chattisgarh,Jharkhandand Uttar Pradesh

have actually released the states share, while Madhya Pradesh andMaharashtraareyetto

releasetheirshareofresources.InMadhyaPradesh,thestatessharehasnotbeenreleased

becausetheStateEmploymentGuaranteeFundhasnotyetbeencreated. Thegovernmentisin

theprocessofcreatingthisfund.

DatabasedoffThePoorestAreaCivilSociety(PACS)Programmestudy.

Extremely low level of knowledge on the scheme among the community members.

Electedrepresentatives, especially the Panchayat head and Secretaries of the

Panchayat,werereasonablyaware.

Itwasalsoobservedthatthepeoplewhoformedtheupperstrataofthesocietywerebetter

informedthantheworkers.Manyoftheseupperclassfamilieswerenotseekingemployment

underNREGA.Therefore,effortsofawarenessarenotreachingthepeoplewhoneedit.

MostoftheroadsidePanchayatshadwallspaintedwiththemainfeaturesofthescheme.

Butdoesiteffectivelyimpacttheawarenessofthepredominantlyilliteratepopulationsthat

resideinthesevillagesisthequestion.

Awarenesseffortsbythegovernmentagencies

State

Situationon

the

ground

Bihar Minimalearlyawarenesseffortsbythegovernmenthaveresultedinverylittle

awarenessatthefieldlevel.Thegovernmenteffortshavebeen

limitedtowallwritingatinconspicuousplacesalongroadsaboutschemesof

family planning,drinkingwaterandvectordiseases.Theawarenesseffortsof

CSOsduringtheNREGAweekwerefullysupportedbythegovernmentandlocal

administrationwhichproducedgoodresults,butthegovernmenthasfailedto

developaproperpolicyinplacetoincreasetheawarenessaboutNREGA.

Chattisgarh In most of the places it was observed that the government

officialsdidnotprovidethevillagerswithadequateinformation.

Theawarenessgenerationeffortin NREGAwasbeingdoneas

AwarenessofProgram


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37

anyothergovernmentscheme.

Jharkhand Duringdiscussionswiththegovernmentofficials,itappearedthat

eventhegovernmentofficialsattheblockandpanchayatlevel

werenot

fully

aware

of

the

scheme

and

its

guidelines.

Madhya

Pradesh

Itwasobservedthatevenattheblocklevel,properawareness

materialwasnotavailable.

The panchayat representatives said that they had not been

provided with any publicity material (no pamphlets, handbills,

postersetc.)

Insomedistrictsafewwallwritingscouldbeseenastheonlysign

ofNREGAawarenesseffortsinvillages.

Maharashtra Despitehavinganemploymentguaranteeschemeforthepast34

years,theMaharashtraREGSchemeformulatedNREGAdidnot

evokeveryenthusiasticresponsefromthevillagers,asnoclear

signalsabout

differences

from

earlier

EGS

and

MREGS

were

sent

bytheadministration.

Uttar

Pradesh

Lackofpoliticalwillwasreflectedinawarenesscreationaswell.

Somelowerlevelofficialsinprivateconversationsadmittedthat

higherlevelofawarenesscouldcreateproblemsforthemasthey

would always have to be on their toes to provide work to the

villagers.

Planningas

per

section

16

(1)

of

the

NREGA

for

the

works/projects

to

be

implemented

in

the

Gram Panchayat area should be undertaken by the Gram Panchayat. The plan proposals will

thenmoveupwardsforapprovalandconsolidationattheabovePanchayatlevels.

DatabasedonPRIAstudyonPanchayatiRaj Institutions:currentreport isbasedonstatistical

sample survey conducted in 14 major states of the country. Refer toTable5 inAnnexure for

DetailednumberofPanchayatsandHouseholdssampled.

RefertoTable6 inAnnexurefordatatableonplanningofworks.Statisticsincludepercentage

of

Blocks

in

which

annual

plans

were

prepared,

percentage

of

Gram

Panchayats

for

which

annualplanswereprepared.AndpercentageofhouseholdsattendingGramSabhameetingfor

planning

Percentagesshowthatplacesthatshowlowerpercentageofworksplannedisduetothelackof

peoplesparticipation.Acrossthedistricts,itwasobservedthattheGramSabhameetingswere

notheldintruespirit.

Planningoftheworks

ImplementationofworksbythePanchayat


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38

NREGAstatesthatatleast50percentoftheworksintermsofcostswillbeallottedtotheGram

Panchayatfor

execution.

Data isbasedonPRIAonPanchayatiRaj Institutions.Thereport isbasedonstatisticalsample

surveyconductedin14majorstatesofthecountry.

RefertoTable7inAnnexurefordatatableonnumberandcostofworksanctionedtotheGram

Panchayatsandpercentageofworksimplementedbythem.

Thedatapresentsthatinmostofthedistrictsmorethan50%ofworksarebeingcarriedoutby

theGramPanchayats.

AccordingtothePRIAstudy,Panchayatshavenotbeenable toperform totheir fullpotential

due to lack of functionaries. They have become paralyzed and are not able to perform their

rolesandresponsibilities.

Data based on PRIA on Panchayati Raj Institutions. The report is based on statistical sample

surveyconductedin14majorstatesofthecountry.

Refer to Table 8 in Annexure for data table on Deployment of Functionaries: specifically for

Program Officers, Assistant Engineers, Junior Engineer for every 10 GPs, Exclusive Panchayat

Secretary,andEmploymentGuaranteeAssistant.

Inalmostallthestatesthestatusofdeploymentof functionariesaldifferent levels ispoor. In

noneofthedistrictsthetableshowsgoodpercentagesofavailabilityofalltheofficialsrequired

atallthelevels.Inthissituationwheretheprimeauthoritiesarenotabletoperformwelldueto

unavailability of the staff, the scheme gets hijacked by vested interests and this leads to

corruptionand

malpractices.

EmploymentGuaranteeAssistantsareveryimportanttechnicalstaffwhichensuresthepayment

ofwagesontime.Itcanbeobservedfromthedatathatthereareimprovementsinsix months

in the status of availability of the EGA to the Gram Panchayats. States like Madhya Pradesh,

Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Chhattisgarh show a significant improvement in the status of

availability of EGAs to the GPs but states like Uttarakhand, West Bengal, Himachal and Bihar

showsnegligiblepercentagesof improvement intheavailabilityoftheemploymentguarantee

assistants.

DeploymentoffunctionariestoPanchayats


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39

Observations from the field show that there has been a significant delay in measurement of

workduetolackoftechnicalstafftothePanchayatswhichinturnhasresultedindelayedwage

paymentstotheworkers.

CentralOperationalGuidelinesstates thatwagesshouldbepaidonaweeklybasisand inany

casewithinafortnightofthedateonwhichtheworkwasdone(Section3(3)ofNREGA).Data

basedonPRIAonPanchayatiRaj Institutionsshowsthatwhereworkhasbeen initiatedunder

NREGA, reported that wages are not paid in time. The percentage of such malpractices are

observed to be high in states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Kerala and

Jharkhand

as

shown

in

these

tables.

Refer

to

Table

9

in

Annexure

on

Estimated

Percentage

of

Householdsnotgettingwageswithinprescribed15days.

Section6(1&2)oftheChapterIIIofNREGAdelineatesthateverypersonworkingunderNREGA

shallbeentitledtotheminimumwagesfixedbytheStateGovernmentforagriculturallaborers

under the Minimum Wages Act, 148, unless the wages have been notified by the Central

Government. Data based on PRIA on Panchayati Raj Institutions shows that in many states,

households were getting less than the minimum wages. Refer to Table 10 in Annexure on

percentageofhouseholdsgettingwageslessthanminimumwages.

PACSstudy

also

reported

delays

in

wages

as

well

as

payment

of

wages

below

the

minimum

wages.

PaymentofWages

State Situationontheground

Bihar Tilldate,workhasbeenstartedatveryfewplaces.

In some districts it was observed that wage payments was

lowerthanwhatwasstipulatedandtherewerealsoreportof

delayedpaymentsfortheworkundertakenunderNREGP.

Chattisgarh

Therewas

gross

discontent

among

villagers

about

low

wages,

especiallyinareasofhardsoilstrata.Paymentwasdoneonthe

basisoftheworkdone,howeveritseemsthereisnodifference

intheratesfornormalsoilandhardstrata.Thuspeopledidnot

getthecompletewagefortheworkdone.

Jharkhand ThestategovernmenthikedtheminimumwagefromRs.60to

Rs.73.HoweverthewagesbeingpaidattheNREGAworksites

appeartobelesserthantheoldminimumwagerate.

Madhya

Pradesh

Rampantdelaywasobservedinmakingpaymentsduetothe

nonavailability of overseers for evaluation of works

undertaken.

WagePayments


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40

At some places wages being paid were lower than the

stipulatedminimumwagefortheagriculturelabour,

Atsomeplaces,therewasdifferenceinwagesbeingpaidto

maleand

female

workers.

Maharashtra Delaysinwagepaymentwascommonatworksites,Sarpanchs

attributethistononreleaseoffundsfromtheTalukaoffice.

Insomeplaces,genderdiscriminatoryinwagepaymentwas

alsoobserved.

Uttar

Pradesh

Insomeoftheareaswageratestipulatedbythegovernment

waslessthanthecurrentmarketratecreatingadisincentive

forthepeopletocometotheNREGSworksites.

DelayintheissueoftheJobcardsisalsooneoftheproblemsresultingfromlackofstafftothe

GramPanchayats.Evenafterayear, implementationof theNREGAhappens atasnails pace.

RefertoTable11intheAnnexureforEstimatedpercentageofhouseholdsissuedjobcardsafter

15days.Inallthestates,mostofthehouseholdshavereceivedJobcardsafterandmorethana

monthoftheirregistration.SomehavenotyetgottheJobcards. PeoplealsoreportedthatJobcardsareretainedwiththesecretariesresultinginwrongentries

in

the

cards.

This

is

preventing

people

from

getting

100

days

of

entitled

employment

and

unemploymentallowanceincaseworkisnotprovided.

PACS study shows that of the total rural households in NREGA districts of states under study

(notincludingRajasthan),52.8%householdshaveappliedtoberegisteredunderthescheme.Of

this,67.4%familieshavebeenissuedjobcards.

JobCards


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41

ApplicationforJobCards

Though the guidelines of the act say that everyone who registers for work, shall be

providedwithjobcardsfreeofcost,itwasobservedthatinsomedistrictsofthesestates,

people were being charged money for gettingjob cards.

Therewerenophotographsonmostofthejobcards.Peoplewerenotawarethattheyhadto

applyforjobs.

ItwasobservedinsomevillagesofthedistrictthatafeeofRs2toRs5wasleviedevenforthe

applicationforms.

Applicationsforworkandtheirreceipt


Bihar Accordingtogovernmentfigures,excepttwodistricts,workhas

beenprovidedtoeveryonewhodemanded

Conscious demand for work was observed in some areas

however, more demand for work is not coming because of

confusionrelatedtonatureofwork,workduration,distanceof

worksitefromthevillage


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42

Chattisgarh Peoplewerenotawareoftheproceduretoapplyforwork.

Therewasnoprioritytowomeninallocationofwork.

Presenceofcontractorswasalsoreportedatworksites.

In

some

instances

people

from

outside

the

panchayat

were

foundworkingatthevillageworksites.

Jharkhand In absence of information about procedures for demanding

work,theworkallotmentwasdependentuponofficialsinterest

orCSOsactivism.

Atsomeplacesworkwasbeingprovidedthroughcontractors.

Madhya

Pradesh

Mostofthepeoplewerenotawarethattheyhadtoapplyfor

workseparatelyaftergettingtheirjobcards.Atsomeplaces,

evenifpeopleknewthattheyhadtoapplyforworktheyhad

noideaaboutwheretoapplyandthemodesofapplication.

AccordingtotheSarpanch,theblocklevelofficialswerenot

forthcomingwith

information

and

this

caused

undue

delay

in

providingwork.

Maharashtra Therewaslackofinformationaboutproceduresforapplyingfor

work. Since in some of the districts farmers had committed

suicides recently, the administration was being proactive in

providingwork.

Uttar

Pradesh

Inmostofthedistricttherewerenowrittenreceiptsofjobapplicationgiven.

There was lack of awareness of the procedure because the

Sarpanch did not know that he was not authorized to take

applicationssinceworkhadtobeprovidedbytheblock.The

blocklevelofficialssaidthattherewasnosuchprovisioninthe

actto

give

dated

receipts

of

applications

received.

AvailabilityofJobCards

InthePACSstudy,30villagessurveyedin6blocksofAurangabaddistrictofMaharashtra,ofa

totalof30,002households,8,881werefoundtohaveregisteredforjobcards,and5,920got

them.Thismeansthatonly67%oftheregisteredhouseholdshadreceivedthejobcardstillJune

2006.

Inseveralvillagesitwasobservedthatthejobcardsweretakenbackbythepanchayat

secretarybeforemakingthepayment.Thesecardswerereturnedafteralongperiodandthat

toowithoutenteringanydetailsinthecard.

Registrationofjobcards

State Issuesontheground

Bihar ItwasobservedthattherewasunduedelayinissuingJobcardsafterreceiptofapplication

Job cards were being issued without any registration number

and/orphotosofadultmembers


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43

In some villages, people were being asked to pay for the

photographsindirectcontraventionofthedueprocedures

Itwasalsoobservedthatnodetails(jobdone,wagespaidetc)

werebeing

recorded

in

the

job

cards

Chattisgarh Itwasobservedthatmoneywasbeingdemandedformakingjob

cards

Generallypeoplewerenotclearabouttheproceduresofgetting

jobcards

Itwasfoundinmostoftheplacesthatthejobcardsprepared

were incomplete (for instance there were no photos, no

registrationnumber,noSarpanchssignature)

Jobcardswerebeingmadeonjointfamilybasisincontravention

ofrulesofNREGA

Jharkhand ItwasobservedthatpeopleinalltheNREGAdistrictshavepaid

moneyranging

from

Rs.

20

120

for

getting

the

job

cards.

MajorityofthepeoplehavebeenchargedbetweenRs.3060for

photographs (officials contend that since no fund has been

providedforphotographs,itisbeingchargedtothebeneficiary),

Itwasalsoobservedinsomedistrictsthatdeadlineswerefixed

forapplyingforjobcardsandinsomecasesjobcardapplications

werenotacceptedaftertheduedate

Madhya

Pradesh

Jobcardswerenotbeingdistributedtimely.Insomedistrictsjobs

cardswerelyingwiththePanchayatSecretaryforthepastfew

months

Photographswerenotpastedonthejobcardswhichwasbeing

putforward

as

an

excuse

for

non

issuance

of

job

cards

Itwasalsoobservedthatpeoplewerenotawareoftheutilityof

thejobcards

TherewerealsoreportsoftoutsaskingforRs.200inlieuof

helpingingettingthejobcardmade

Maharashtra DespitehavinghistoryofEGSinthestatelessthan50%ofthose

whohaveregisteredhavegotNREGSjobcard

InAurangabaddistrictthegovernmentclaimstohavedistributed

100%jobcardsbutinrealityjusttwoofthefiveblocksinthe

districtshavegot100%jobcards

InsomedistrictsAPLpeoplenotbeingregisteredforthescheme

bysaying

that

the

scheme

is

only

for

the

BPL

families

UttarPradesh Asituationhasbeencreatedwhereitseemsmandatorytohavea

printedregistrationformforapplicationandmostofthecasesthe

formsarenotavailable

Itwasalsoobservedthattheauthoritiesaretakingadillydallying

approachtoavoidpayingunemploymentallowanceincaseofnon

provisionofwork


44/68


45/68

45

The Programme Officer will be the Grievance Redressal Officer at the Block level, and the

DistrictProgrammeCoordinatorattheDistrictlevel.Actiontakenonthecomplaintsreceivedby

the Programme Officer and the District Programme Coordinator shall be placed before the

meetingsoftheIntermediatePanchayatsandtheDistrictPanchayatsrespectively.

In the PRIA study, it shows that the Grievance Redressal mechanism has not yet become

functional.Due to lack of information and awareness on the part of the Gram Panchayat the

grievances and the problems of the workers are not provided any solutions. The redressal

mechanismisnotyetinstitutionalizedandcomplaintsoftheworkersremainunaddressed.Refer

toTable

12

for

percentage

of

households

approaching

for

grievance

redressal.

Foreveryworksanctionedunderthescheme,thereshouldbealocalVigilanceandMonitoring

Committee,composedofmembersofthe localityorvillagewherethework isundertaken, to

monitortheprogressandqualityofworkwhileitisinprogress.

District

Panchayats

will

monitor

all

aspects

of

implementation,

including

registration,

employment,unemploymentallowances,andsocialaudits,flowoffunds,progressandquality

of works, qualitative aspects of implementation, timely and correct payment of wages, and

timely payment of unemployment allowances. The State Government shall monitor the

performanceofalldistrictsonthequalityandpaceofimplementation.

ThedatacollectedinthePRIAstudyshowsthepoorstatusofvigilanceandmonitoringofworks.

RefertoTable13forpercentageofGPSwhereworksiteswereinspectedby,percentageofGPS

whereVigilanceandMonitoringCommitteeshavebeenformed,andpercentageofGPswhere

sanction orders from program officers were received. Official data collected, represents the

percentages

of

GPs

where

the

elected

representatives

of

the

district

and

intermediate

Panchayats had inspected worksites. In states like Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Uttar

PradeshandHimachalPradesh4050%worksitesofthegramPanchayatshavebeen inspected

bytherepresentativesoftheDistrictPanchayats.However, inrestofthestatesmonitoringof

worksbythedistrictrepresentativeswasfoundtobeverylow.

Data presented in the table shows higher percentages of monitoring and inspection of the

worksites by representatives of the Intermediate Panchayat (IPs). Data from Andra Pradesh,

GrievanceRedressal

MonitoringandVigilanceorWorks


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46

Bihar,Chhattisgarh,Gujarat,Haryana,Rajasthan,UP,UttarakhandandWestBengalshowsgood

percentagesofworksiteinspectionbytherepresentativesofIPs.

TheCentralOperationalGuidelinesclearlystatethatallkeyagenciesincludingGramPanchayats

andotherPRIsneedtobetrainedindischargingtheirresponsibilitiesundertheAct.Inaddition

tohelpingvariousagenciesinperformingtheirdutiesundertheAct,trainingprogrammes

shouldgiveprioritytothecompetenciesrequiredforeffectiveplanning.

Lackof

capacity

and

skills

of

the

Panchayat

officials

is

one

of

the

major

critical

issues

which

is

restricting Panchayats from effective participation in the NREGA. Lack of technical skills, low

awarenessoftheprovisionsofthescheme,lackofclarityontheirrolesandresponsibilitiesare

someoftheproblemsputtingoffthePanchayatsfromactivefunctioning.

Panchayatrepresentatives lackcapacitiesandskillstoefficientlyperformtheirdutiesandasa

result, they get dependent on the government officials for each and everything resulting in a

passiveparticipation.

RefertoTable14intheAnnexurefordatatableson%ofGPswheretrainingofErsundertaken

and%ofBlockswheretrainingofErsundertaken.Thedatashowsthatcapacitybuildinghasnot

beenenoughanddatashowsthatpropertrainingsandorientationoftheelected

representativeshavenotbeendoneinmostofthestatesresultinginlowawarenesslevelsand

lackofskills.However,itisencouragingtoseethatUttarPradesh(Banda)Haryanaand

HimachalPradesh,datashowsgoodpercentagesofthetrainingprogrammesundertakeninthe

GramPanchayatsfortheERs.

ThemostimportantdemandinNREGAistoensureequalparticipationandwagesforwomen.

Priorityistobegiventowomenintheallocationofwork,insuchawaythatatleastonethird

ofthebeneficiariesshallbewomen.

However,thedatacollectedbytheMinistryofRuralDevelopmentshowshugediscrepancies

acrossstates.RefertoTable15intheAnnexurefordatatableontheshareofwomeninNREGA

employment.

CapacityBuildingofPanchayats

WomeninNREGA


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47

Fromthedata,ItisencouragingtonotethatwomensshareofNREGAemploymentisnotfar

fromhalf(40percenttobeprecise)attheallIndialevel

However,manystatesareviolatingtheActbyfailingtoensurethattheshareofwomenin

NREGAemploymentisatleastonethird:JammuandKashmir(4percentonly),Himachal

Pradesh(12percent),UttarPradesh(17percent),amongothers

Inadequateworksitefacilities

NREGAprovidesforfacilitiesforsafedrinkingwater,shadeforchildren,periodsofrestanda

firstaidboxattheworksite(Section27,ScheduleIIoftheNREGA).

Section28

of

Schedule

IIprovides

for

crche

facility

at

the

worksite

for

five

or

more

children

below6yearsofageaccompanyingworkingwomen

However,datacollectedfromPRIAstudyshowsinadequateavailabilityofresourcesatworksite

facilities.RefertoTable16fordatatablesonestimatedpercentageofhouseholdsresponding

thatcrchefacilitiesareavailable.

Thestatusofworksitefacilitiesisnotfoundtobegoodinthetableabove.Crchewasfoundto

be not available in a large number of worksites. Women with young children are being

discouragedtoparticipateintheschemeduetounavailabilityofcrchefacilitiesattheworksite.

Becauseofthelackoffacilitiesatworksites,smallchildrenremainunattended,intheheat.Asa

consequence, women are hesitant to bring their children to the sites. It also forces them to

rethink about applying for work in the first place. Better arrangements for child care are

urgentlyrequiredtofacilitatetheparticipationofwomeninNREGA.

PACSstudyasstatedthesamething:whiletheactprovidesforextensiveworksitefacilitiessuch

ascrcheandfirstaidtobemadeavailabletothepeoplethereislittleevidenceofthisin

practice.Womenwithsmallchildrenhavebeenbadlyhitbythisomissionwhilethelackoffirst

aidhasendangeredtheworkerssinceearthworksdoinvolvethepossibilityofinjuries.Atthe

mostdrinking

water

has

been

provided

and

that

too

has

not

been

universal.

Inadequateworksitefacilities


Bihar In most of the cases inadequate worksite facilities were

present.Apartfromdrinkingwaternootherfacilitylikecrche,

firstaid,shadewereavailableattheworksites.

Chattisgarh TheworksitefacilitiesinChattisgarhwerealsoverypoor.There

werenofacilitieslikefirstaidkitorcrche.


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48

Womenoftencomplainedthatsincetheworksitesdidnothave

anyfacilityforcrche,theyeitherdidnotgoforworkorhadto

leavetheirchildrenathome.

Jharkhand

Therewas

complete

lack

of

facilities

at

the

work

site

Peoplehadverylowlevelofawarenessabouttheprovisions

relatedtofacilitiesatworksite

Madhya

Pradesh

Asobservedinmoststatesworksitefacilitieswerenonexistent,

EventhePRIrepresentativesdidnotknowaboutthefacilities

tobeprovidedattheworksite.

Maharashtra Facilities as per the provisions of the act were not being

providedattheworksites.

Thelocalofficialswereignoringdirectionsofhigherauthorities

withregardtothefacilitiesthathadtobeprovided.

Uttar

Pradesh

Workhadstartedinverysmallpocketshenceitwasdifficultto

draw

conclusionat

this

stage,

however

at

the

few

worksites

thereishardlyanyfacilityavailable.

Thepurposeofthereviewofthemediacoverageistoconsiderissuesreflected/highlightedinthemedia

onNREGA.Thishasbeendividedintothreesections.

MediaResponse

at

the

time

of

enactment

ThecoverageoftheNREGAinthemediahaschangedoveraperiodoftime.Whenthebillwasbeing

discussedinParliamentseveraljournalistsandcolumnistsdenouncedthebillas:

1.) an economic hoaxbecause: it was not the duty of the state to guaranteeemployment;it

burdenedthetaxpayingpublicthatactuallyfundedsuchschemes;thenationshouldmaximize

productionnotwork,and;governmentactuallydestroysjobs

2.) acorruptionguaranteeschemebecause:itwasaplanneddrainofwealthfromtheproductive

sector tothe underground economy; perpetuates the populist legacy ofpoliticians; would

not

only

be

wasteful

but

entail

fresh

taxes

and

erode

Indiascompetitiveness,

and;

encourageanetworkofpatronage

3.) bountifulandwastefulbecause:alreadytheCentralgovernmentspentoverRs40,000Croreper

annumforpovertyalleviationwhichwaswasted;theschemewouldbeimplementedfirstin

districtsrepresentedbypowerfulpoliticianswhowouldgetthecompetitiveness,and;

encourageanetworkofpatronage

NREGAStatusandImplementationfromMediaPerspective


49/68


50/68

50

Statewisehighlightsonperformance

Thesearespecificcasestudies,stories,andnewsitemsonselectivestatesfocusingonproblemsin

implementation:

1.) LackofassessmentespeciallyinUttarPradeshwherethereisnodataavailableonjobsrequired

toprovidelivelihoodsecurity.InfactUttarPradeshisseenasalaggardinthisregard.

2.) Lackofrationalizationofworknormswhicharetoodemandingsothatfewareabletoearnthe

wagerateofRs73perday

3.) CorruptionandneglecthinderingimplementationoftheprogrammeinHaryanaandUP

4.) Low ground awareness, low wages and lack of attendance in gram sabhasinGujarat

which also has the distinction of having the first court caseon lack ofpaymentof

adequatewages

5.) Difficult work sites, underpayment, violation of social security norms, uninformedpeople

andchildreninscorchingheatcharacterizingtheimplementationofNREGAinMadhya Pradesh.

Discrimination on the basis of caste, community, disability andproximitytosarpanch,

panchayatsecretaryhavebeennoticedacrossthecountry

6.) Severalstatesfailingtoimplementprovisionsof the programme. Haryana,Jharkhand, Uttar

Pradesh, Uttaranchal and Kerala have not issued state specificoperational guidelines.

Chattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh have issued their ownamendmentswhichviolatethe

provisionsofNREGA.

Thus,publicvigilanceandtheemergingsuccessstorieshaveinducedmanymediapersonstochange

theiroutlooktowardstheprogram.Thedifferenceincoverageisnowonlyamatterofdegreewithsome

mediabeingmoresupportivethantheother.Aninterestingissueisthatthosesectionsofthemedia

thathadchampionedtheActsuchastheHinduareplayingtheroleofwatchdogsbypointingoutlapses

inimplementationwhileothersections that had been negative or ambivalent such as Business

Standard & IndianExpressarecomingtoagrudgingacceptanceofthemeritsoftheprogram.


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51

PostImplementationfollowup

SocialAudits

CapacitybuildinginPanchayats

PotentialSubjectsforFurtherMicroAnalysis


52/68

52

Annexure

Table1

WaterConservationworks

State No.oftotalworksinwaterconservation(bothin

progressandcompleted)

AndhraPradesh 37,104

Jharkhand 15,636

MadhyaPradesh 63,920

Rajasthan 9,596

Orissa 7,911

WestBengal 3,214

Bihar

2,802

Karnataka 2,616

UttarPradesh 2,530

Chattisgarh 2,418

Total 147,747Source:MinistryofRuralDevelopment, August2006

Table2

DroughtProofingworks

State Noofworks

MadhyaPradesh 11,790

Orissa 1,815

WestBengal 1,255

Chattisgarh 698

Karnataka* 552

Assam* 176

*CurrentlyboththestatesarefacingdroughtSource:MinistryofRuralDevelopment,August2006


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53

Table3

GeographicalMapofIndia

Table4

ForestCoverin200districtsofNREGAstates

State %oftotal

forestcover

toStates

Geographical

Area

AndhraPradesh 16.93%

ArunachalPradesh 82.58%

Assam 19.52%

Bihar 7.08%

Chattisgarh 45.06%


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54

Gujrat 17.61%

Haryana 1.86%

HimachalPradesh 40.57%

JammuandKashmir 37.91%

Jharkhand 27.93%

Karnataka 3.97%

Kerala 49.13%

MadhyaPradesh 29.03%

Maharashtra 22.34%

Manipur 88.11%

Meghalya 79.37%

Mizoram 80.72%

Nagaland 78.44%

Orissa 35.86%

Punjab 18.72%

Rajasthan

14.86%

Sikkim 31.38%

TamilNadu 17.23%

UttarPradesh 7.73%

Uttaranchal 44.63%

WestBengal 12.87%

TOTAL 23.42%

Source:CSEBriefingDraft


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55

Table5

NumberofSampledGramPanchayatsandHouseholds

Sl.

No.State

SampleSize

No.ofG.Ps. No.ofHouseholds

1. AndhraPradesh42 420

2. Bihar 44 440

3. Chhattisgarh 54 540

4. Gujarat 37 370

5. Haryana 30

300

6. HimachalPradesh 18 180

7. Jharkhand 23 230

8. Kerala 5 50

9. MadhyaPradesh 60 600

10. Orissa 36 360

11. Rajasthan 22 220

12. UttarPradesh 106 1060

13. Uttaranchal30 300

14. WestBengal 23

230

Total530 5300

Source:NationalStudyofRoleofPanchayatsbyPRIA,Sept2007


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56

Table6

Planningof

works

under

NREGA

Sl.

No.State

NamesofSelected

Districts

%ofBlocksin

which

annualPlanswere

prepared

%ofGPsfor

which

annualPlans

were

prepared

Estimatedpercentage

ofhouseholds

attendingGram

Sabhameetingfor

planning

(1) (3) (3)

August

2006

March2

007

1. Andhra

Pradesh

Medak 100.0 80.1 36.1 22.4

2.Bihar

Madhubani100.0 100.0 44.0 57.3

Muzaffarpur 100.0 87.0 77.0 29.6

3.Chhattisgarh

Raigarh 100.0 96.7 77.0 40.5

Rajnandgaon 100.0 100.0 60.0 25.8

4. Gujarat Sabarkantha 100.0 82.3 33.0 24.7

5. Haryana Mahendergarh 100.0 100.0 34.0 45.2

6.Himachal

PradeshSirmour 100.0 100.0 75.4 72.1

7. Jharkhand

Jamtara 100.0 100.0 40.3 38.2

Pakur 100.0 89.2 21.6 23.3

8. Kerala Wayanad 50.0 100.0 0.0 25.0

9.Madhya

Pradesh

Shivpuri

100.0

100.0

44.0

2.9

Sidhi 61.4 76.4 66.0 43.9

10. Orissa

Dhenkanal 100.0 91.2 67.0 52.0

Ganjam 100.0 95.8 44.0 14.4

11 Rajasthan Karauli 100.0 100.0 28.9 21.7


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57

12. UttarPradesh

Banda 100.0 89.3 16.6 5.9

Mirzapur 100.0 100.0 23.3 32.7

Sitapur 100.0 94.5 41.1 30.2

13. Uttarakhand Chamoli 100.0 87.7 60.0 26.6

14. WestBengal 24ParganaSouth 100.0 100.0 70.7 90.1


Table7

Numberand

cost

of

work

sanctioned

to

the

gram

Panchayats

and

percentage

of

works

implemented

bythem

Sl.

No. State

Namesof

Selected

Districts

SanctionedWorks

Number

ofworks

TotalCosts

ofworks(Rs.

Lakhs)

Funds

Allocatedto

GPs

(Rs.Lakhs)

%ageofworks

implementedby

theGPs

(1) (2) (3) (4)

1.AndhraPradesh

Medak 12,531 23,066.0 23,066.0 100.0

2.Bihar

Madhubani 1,451 2,734.0 1,863.1 68.1

Muzaffarpur 3,369 5,593.3 3,000.2 53.6

3.Chhattisgarh

Raigarh 2,018 7,312.5 5,581.5 76.3

Rajnandgaon 6,595 8,453.5 7,927.0 93.8

4. Gujarat Sabarkantha 1,805 4,354.9 4,142.1 95.1

5. Haryana Mahendergarh 751 1,116.7 1,110.9 99.5

6.Himachal

Pradesh Sirmour1,974 836.1 799.2 95.6

7. Jharkhand

Jamtara 2,233 2,318.3 1,429.9 61.7

Pakur 863 2,550.7 668.2 26.2

8. Kerala Wayanad 4,914 2,063.1 2,063.1 100.0


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58

9.Madhya

Pradesh

Shivpuri 4,305 9,395.7 9,033.6 96.1

Sidhi 53,253 29,455.8 27,763.7 94.3

10. Orissa

Dhenkanal 832 2,659.0 2,520.7 94.8

Ganjam 1,803 2,414.8 1,398.3 57.9

11 Rajasthan Karauli 4,953 22,150.7 20,784.3 93.8

12. UttarPradesh

Banda 10,950 26,821.3 21,963.3 81.9

Mirzapur 2,292 6,064.4 5,356.0 88.3

Sitapur 7,301 5,051.2 2,544.7 50.5

13. Uttarakhand Chamoli 3,484 3,493.9 2,805.2 80.3

14. WestBengal24Pargana

South2,774 3,097.5 1,124.6 100.0


Table8

Deploymentoffunctionaries

Sl.

No.

State NamesofSelected

Districts

%ofBlocks,havingexclusivelyfor

NREG

%ofGPshaving

A

Programme

Officer

Asst.

Engineer

Junior

Enginee

rfor

every

10GPs

Exclusive

Panchayat

Secretary

Employment

Guarantee

Assistant

(1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

1.AndhraPradesh

Medak 75.0 75.0 5.0 82.7 97.9

2.

Bihar

Madhubani 0.0 75.0 51.9 63.5 0.0

Muzaffarpur 0.0 75.0 50.0 69.3 0.0

3.

Chhattisgarh

Raigarh 100.0 100.0 0.0 70.0 76.7

Rajnandgaon 100.0 100.0 0.0 68.3 72.6


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59

4. Gujarat Sabarkantha 100.0 31.0 0.0 48.3 27.2

5. Haryana Mahendergarh 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 37.0

6. HimachalPradesh Sirmour 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0

7.

Jharkhand

Jamtara 0.0 50.0 0.0 29.5 0.0

Pakur 0.0 100.0 0.0 78.5 0.0

8. Kerala Wayanad 100.0 0.0 100.0 100.0 100.0

9.

MadhyaPradesh

Shivpuri 51.9 48.1 51.9 83.0 100.0

Sidhi 0.0 67.5 35.1 91.4 59.8

10.

Orissa

Dhenkanal 0.0 50.0 0.0 35.1 17.5

Ganjam 40.9 59.1 59.1 51.9 59.6

11. Rajasthan Karauli 100.0 100.0 100.0 77.2 100.0

12.

UttarPradesh

Banda 0.0 50.0 50.0 5.3 78.7

Mirzapur 0.0 25.0 50.0 2.9 80.4

Sitapur 0.0 80.0 61.5 18.6 91.2

13.

Uttarakhand

Chamoli

100.0 100.0 66.7 0.0

4.0

14. WestBengal 24ParganaSouth 0.0 0.0 0.0 39.7 12.7


Table9

Wage payments:Estimatedpercentageofhouseholdsnotgettingwageswithinprescribed15days

State Nameofthe

District/s

Estimatedpercentageofhouseholdsnot

gettingwageswithinprescribed15days

August2006 March2007

AndhraPradesh Mehaboobnagar/

Medak

3.8 73.1

Bihar Madhubani 0.0 38.9

Muzaffarpur 6.9 73.3

Chhattisgarh Raigarh 9.3 74.6

Rajnandgaon 22.5 46.2

Gujarat Sabarkantha 53.0 12.6


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60


Table10

Adequacy of wage payments: Estimatedpercentageofhouseholdsgettingwageslessthanminimumwages

Haryana Mahendergarh 19.0 26.4

HimachalPradesh Sirmour 11.1 71.3

Jharkhand

Jamtara

34.5

0.0

Pakur 0.0 64.4

Kerala Wayanad NotApplicable 60.7

MadhyaPradesh Shivpuri 38.0 46.1

Sidhi 49.8 56.6

Orissa Dhenkanal 69.4 49.6

Ganjam 46.7 52.0

Rajasthan Karauli 19.3 95.0

UttarPradesh

Banda

19.2

91.1

Mirzapur 12.2 73.8

Sitapur 61.7 37.4

Uttarakhand Chamoli 28.0 59.9

WestBengal 24ParganaSouth 0.0 42.7

State Nameofthe

District/s

Estimatedpercentageof

householdsgettingwageslessthan

minimumwages



Medak

7.7 8.9

Bihar Madhubani 0.0 4.1



Rajnandgaon 2.8 0.6


Haryana Mahendergarh 9.8 85.8



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61


Table11Timeliness in issuance of job cards

State Nameofthe

District/s

Estimatedpercentageofhouseholds

issuedjob

cards

after

15

days



Medak

83.0 73.3

Bihar Madhubani NotAvailable 86.9



Rajnandgaon 41.3 64.5


Haryana Mahendergarh 100 38.8


Jharkhand Jamtara 95.3 67.2

Pakur 100 59.5

Kerala Wayanad 83.4


Sidhi 33.1 56.2

Jharkhand Jamtara 21.2 87.8

Pakur 0.0 64.8

Kerala

Wayanad

NotApplicable

5.3


Sidhi 43.7 63.9


Ganjam 29.6 52.9

Rajasthan Karauli 97.0 97.0

UttarPradesh Banda 5.7 7.4

Mirzapur 36.8 16.0

Sitapur

3.8

15.7




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62


Ganjam 64.9 47.1

Rajasthan

Karauli

47.9

41.3

UttarPradesh Banda 91.3 47.6

Mirzapur 87.3 50.9

Sitapur 36.2 33.7




Table12

GrievanceRedressal

Sl.

No. State

Namesof

Selected

Districts

%ofBlocks

whereERs

examined

Complaint

Registers

%ofHouseholdsapproachingforgrievanceredressal

Chairperson

sofGP

Panchayat

Secretaryof

GP

Ward

Members

ofGP

Programme

OfficerofGP

(1) (2) (3) (4)

(5)

1. AndhraPradesh Medak 12.9 6.2 6.4 4.3 11.4

2. Bihar

Madhubani 100.0 75.4 4.3 11.9 0.0

Muzaffarpur 50.0 54.3 17.9 27.7 0.1

3. Chhattisgarh

Raigarh 50.0 33.7 11.1 20.9 1.3

Rajnandgaon 50.0 11.6 16.0 3.7 0.0

4. Gujarat Sabarkantha 69.813.0

6.2 1.5 0.7

5. Haryana Mahendergarh 0.0 29.2 0.4 0.6 0.0

6. HimachalPradesh Sirmour 0.0 4.7 1.4 2.1 0.0

7. Jharkhand

Jamtara 0.0 1.1 54.3 44.7 0.0

Pakur 0.0 8.4 0.0 14.0 3.1

8. Kerala Wayanad 100.0 13.9 0.0 6.6 0.0


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63

9. MadhyaPradesh

Shivpuri 51.9 12.9 30.4 1.2 1.0

Sidhi 61.4 19.6 16.1 2.7 5.1

10. Orissa

Dhenkanal 100.0 14.7 11.4 4.1 0.0

Ganjam 60.0 28.9 4.0 8.5 2.1

11 Rajasthan Karauli 0.0 59.8 7.1 13.3 2.3

12. UttarPradesh

Banda 0.0 6.7 2.2 77.3 0.0

Mirzapur 50.0 44.9 0.4 2.6 2.0

Sitapur 60.0 54.6 5.1 5.2 6.3

13. Uttarakhand Chamoli 66.7

Documents

NREGA Research Paper-Aster Peng