Tuesday, October 13, 2009

NREGA truth

See full size imageNREGA--- National Rural Employment Guarantee Act

It came in to existence in Aug 2005, with the moto of providing employment to an adult member of a household for at least 100 days a year at minimum wage rate of Rs 100 per day, every financial year.
Government's aim is to provide public- work to unskilled labor in rural areas.

Government's outlay for the scheme is Rs 39100 cr ($8 bn) for fiscal year 2009-10.

It has been renamed as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act on 2nd October, 2009.

Analysis
Central Government will bear 75 percent of the cost of material and wages for skilled and semi-skilled workers and rest by State government.

Strengths

# Empowering Gram panchayat as 50% of the work has to be executed by them.

# See full size imageActivities that people have to perform are like Afforestation through plantation, digging wells, canals and land leveling etc, which ultimately develop our country.

# A 60:40 wage and material ratio has to be maintained. No contractors and machinery is allowed.

# At least one-third beneficiaries shall be women who have registered and requested work under the scheme.

Flaws

#Flaw in disbursement and utilization of the whole amount as it was expected that at least 40% of the amount would have been siphoned off in to the pockets of officials and gram panchayat members like panch and surpanch.

# CAG has found that in some places for eg. In Budera village their was no cultivation of Jatropha although Rs 80,000 has been claimed for fictitious cultivation.

# In some areas corrupt officials are issuing Job card to every member in a household, irrespective of whether they works or not and for that keeping half of the money in their own pockets.

# Farmers in U.P, Punjab and Haryana are facing scarcity of labors as many had returned to their own village, so agriculture is affecting and may also become a reason for food inflation in country.

# More than 300 FIRs reported in Rajasthan for irregularities in NREGA activities.

So even after having an awesome scheme, we were lacking at its implementation. Corruption flowing in our blood and system is nemesis of any success .

2 comments:

Aki said...

oyeee.. mujhe to laga ke you are someho going to relate this scheme to our placement.. :P
Anyhow, thanks for the info! keep updating

itsakash4u said...

@akki

haha gud idea ..Govt shd also give us some benefits.