Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 150
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 151
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
LATEST NEWS UPDATES | 'Digital India' Actually Made MGNREGA Less Transparent -Nikhil Shenoy

'Digital India' Actually Made MGNREGA Less Transparent -Nikhil Shenoy

Share this article Share this article
published Published on Mar 16, 2018   modified Modified on Mar 16, 2018
-TheWire.in

The MGNREGA website used to be something of a gold standard on information dissemination. But not anymore.

Sanjay Sahni is an anti-corruption activist from Muzaffarpur, Bihar. Formally educated only till Class 5, he used to work as an electrician in Delhi until 2012. He came across the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) website by chance, and after several hours of navigating through the complicated web pages, he saw that his name – along with several others from his village who had either died or migrated – was on muster rolls. As per official records, he was employed and being paid much more than what he was actually earning.

Five years later, in 2018, after a lot of struggle, several public protests and even being jailed for speaking against the powers that be, his village and the work of his organisation (Samaj Parivartan Shakti Sangathan) has become an inspiration on how to fight corruption and demand that rights be granted.

At the root of this local empowerment is the fact that the MGNREGA has been a pioneer in implementing the idea of ‘Digital India’, long before the phrase was articulated. Lists of job card, recording the demand for work, every muster roll (work attendance sheets), the payment process – every aspect is digitised and is online in real time. Papers don’t need to move from one office to the other.

Indeed, digitisation is required given the scale and spread of the programme. Almost all the 2.6 lakh gram panchayats in our country are generating employment, and payments have to be made into bank accounts of workers within 15 days. Along with the digitisation of sub-processes, the information generated is enshrined in the website for the MGNREGA and processed as ‘reports’ generated by the Management Information System (MIS). Each bit of data related to every rupee spent on every work project can be examined via the website, opening up the entire programme to strict public vigilance and monitoring.

Of course, a website is certainly not enough to bring about true transparency. It needs to be accompanied by many other measures, such as government-run information and facilitation centres where one can go ask for help to look up or fill required documents. There is also a need for the digitisation platforms to be constantly reviewed in a transparent and consultative manner, along the lines of disclosure mandated under the Right to Information Act.

In this context, it is useful to examine how much the MGNREGA and its website have gained after the introduction of Digital India. Despite the rhetoric that ‘Digital India’ is an empowering force, three retrograde measures have been implemented over the past couple of years. These relate to the online filing of demand via the ‘Workers Module’, obfuscations in wage payments and the increasing arbitrariness and complexity of the website.

Lip service to ‘worker-friendly’ information

With the intent to make the website more accessible, the government had introduced a ‘workers’ tab on the MGNREGA website. By just entering their job card or Aadhaar number, any worker can see all the information relevant to them like the number of days worked and payment due, and they can also file an online application to demand work. With colour coding and even audio clips for each option, it was designed keeping in mind the requirements of the working class. It required very little computer literacy and only a basic understanding of the website. It was a manifestation of a ‘janata’ or people’s information system.

Ironically, since the Digital India campaign began, this section, used extensively in the past, has been dysfunctional. Despite repeated complaints to the government of Rajasthan and India, there has been no effort to restore it and truly make it work.

Please click here to read more.

TheWire.in, 15 March, 2018, https://thewire.in/digital/digital-india-actually-made-mgnrega-less-transparent


Related Articles

 

Write Comments

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

*

Video Archives

Archives

share on Facebook
Twitter
RSS
Feedback
Read Later

Contact Form

Please enter security code
      Close