To accomplish the mission of comprehensive and integrated development of rural areas, a national workshop on “Convergence of NRlM and MGNREGA through PRIs for enhanced access to livelihoods and entitlements to the rural poor” was organised in Ranchi on September 2.
The workshop highlighted the viability of MNREGA in discouraging distress migration from remote areas of states across India. The social sector scheme has also been highlighted as providing impetus to the Panchayati Raj Institutions. Interestingly, there was also a case study which impressed upon “Watershed Management Planning: Panchayat-led livelihood development” in Kuira village located in Jaipur Gram Panchayat of Hatgamaria Block in West Singhbhum District of Jharkhand.
The study showed how village Pradhan has been facilitating a bottom-up approach in the planning and implementation of land and water development activities, with the help of Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM) under MGNREGS involving the district administration, PRI and Gram Sabha (GS), with special attention on women in the self help groups. This is the first initiative of this kind in Jharkhand.
Significantly, participants also shed light on “SHGs and accessing entitlements of MGNREGS” which was aimed at the potential of women’s self help groups in strengthening the MGNREGS through ensuring the realization of the ten entitlements (like job cards, demanding work, work-site facilities, work-site management, unemployment allowance etc). The workshop also emphasised upon the potential of the MGNREGS in involving women into Self Help Groups which, in turn, shall empower the women to demand their rights and entitlements.
Chief executive officer JSlPS Paritosh Upadhyay, Minister department of rural development, PRI, labour Welfare Government of Jharkhand Chandrashekhar Dubey attended. Other dignitaries included Principal Secretary, Rural Development, RS Poddar, Commissioner NREGA, Arun, Joint Secretary NREGA, Aprajita Sarangi Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development, GOI, Director SIRD, RG Singh and representatives of SRlM/NRlM team of States –Maharastra, Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, Odhisha and Jharkhand.