As per the available statistics, a lot is left to be done by the Centre and the State Government to effectively implement the Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MNREGS) in Uttarakhand, a scheme that the Centre introduced a decade ago to provide employment to the rural people for at least 100 mandays.
Presently, the card holders are being paid Rs 161 per day, a paltry sum not sufficient especially in the cities where living is far more expensive than in the rural areas. Moreover, the payment of wages in the State under this scheme remains erratic to the distress of those who bank on the scheme for living.
“We wonder how we would continue. The sum we receive is too paltry for living and besides, the amount whatever it is rarely comes on time. The private works fetch more for us, something that makes many to leave works under MNREGS for more lucrative private works,” said one of those from Dehradun who still earns living availing the scheme.
The Centre had already directed the States to provide wages to the job card holders within 15 days of their work being completed under the scheme.
Recently, MNREGS job cardholders in Tehri district have staged stir, demanding timely wage payment. Things are simmering in other districts too across the State, waiting for an outlet to vent out long pent-up grievances on the counts of erratic payments and the inadequacy of the amounts for living, given the spiraling prices of essential commodities, particularly, the edible items like pulses.
Though there is a provision for penalty for officials responsible for such anomalies, no penalty has been imposed on any of the departmental officers despite wage payments remaining erratic.
A senior administrative officer said that the Central Government releases cent per cent funds for labour component under the scheme while material component funds are shared under the ratio of 75:25 between the Centre and the State with the former bearing the lion’s share. About six per cent of total labour component fund is spent on administrative expenses, it is learnt. Deputy programming officer, engineers and computer operators are employed on contracts for the scheme and they are paid from the administrative expense funds. Funds are also spent on purchasing power generators, stationary, cameras, fuel and other necessary items used for administrative works.
The funds provided for administrative expenses by the government are not sufficient, sources say.
Due to shortage of funds, adequate number of computer operators and engineers are not being hired under the scheme on contractual basis, further impacting the implementation of the scheme, sources add.
For example, a single computer operator has been deputed in Chakrata region where the numbers of villages are around 116. “Is it possible for a single computer operator to complete the works of 116 villages in a monthIJ” asks a Government official.
It is learnt that they normally take a day to complete works of two or three villages. “Things are further compounded as internet sometimes does not work. The computer operators, engineers and administrative officials employed on contractual basis to implement the scheme being overburdened are slowing things down,” he added.
Asked to comment how things are going on, Dehradun chief development officer AK Pandey said that in Dehradun district, in the last finance years, around Rs 13 crores had been spent under the scheme while the amount stands at around Rs 26 crores foe the current financial year. He admitted that the officials working on the ground have been facing difficulties to motive the cardholders to work on the paltry wage of Rs 161 per day. “This is especially so in the city areas where they are getting more than Rs 200 per day on the private works,” he said.
A total of 79, 461 job cards have been issued under the scheme with jobs being provided to 14, 146 families.
The department has created 6.795 lakh human days, sources say. A total of 68, 449 job card holders have opened their accounts in the banks and the post offices. Around 850 families have been given 100 days’ work in the current financial year, sources added.
Mention worthy, National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) 2005 was renamed as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
Meant to be a social security measure that aims at guaranteeing the “ right to work’ by ensuring and enhancing livelihood security in the rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work, it is floundering in most of the districts of the State due to the reluctance of the authorities to put it in sync with the changing contours of life.
Started in 200 districts of the country on 2 February 2006, the Central government’s flagship project covered all the districts located across India from 1 April 2008.
“The importance of the scheme is great in a hill State like Uttarakhand. When the scheme was envisaged we hoped it would play a transforming role particularly in the rural areas. But unfortunately, things on the ground are far from satisfactory, partly with the apathy of the Government officials concerned to speed things up and partly due to amount fixed to be given to the workers turning woefully short even for a frugal living at a time when the cost of living is spiraling fast,” says an observer.