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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Centre shifts NREGA focus, targets assets creation by Maulshree Seth

Centre shifts NREGA focus, targets assets creation by Maulshree Seth

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published Published on Jun 18, 2011   modified Modified on Jun 18, 2011

Five years after launching the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme, the UPA government is now shifting the focus from mere employment generation to creation of durable assets. With this focus, the Union Ministry of Rural Development has come out with the “MGNREGA works field manual”, which lays down “do’s and don’ts” for the states.

The manual has been prepared by a team of experts headed by GN Sharma, who is consultant with the Rural Development Ministry, to assist states in planning, survey, design and execution of work. In field visits across the country, the experts found that at many places works were taken up just for giving employment, but these did not actually enhance the resource base of the villagers.

Apart from listing the types of work that can be undertaken in order of priority, and the technical specifications to be kept in mind, the manual also lists mistakes made by the states in the past and asks the states not to undertake such works in future.

Among the mistakes are the “model pond scheme” of UP; dugwells, ponds and check-dams of faulty designs in UP, MP, Jharkhand and West Bengal which cannot be used and construction of tree guards, made of bricks, in UP in which the saplings could not survive because of lack of sunlight and water.

The 100-page manual defines works under nine heads on the basis of priority which the states are expected to undertake. These include water conservation and harvesting; drought prevention; irrigation of canals; other irrigation facilities like dug well, farm pond, check-dam, etc; renovation of traditional water bodies like talabs, ponds etc; land development through reclamation, flood control and rural road connectivity.

Any other work undertaken beyond these would have to be first notified by the Government of India in consultation with the state government.

On top of the list of dont’s is the Adarsh Talab Yojana of Uttar Pradesh government under which ponds are developed, along with boundary walls, boring for water, lavish gates and benches. It is pointed out that ponds are to be created for water conservation, not for the recreational purpose. Besides, “such model ponds do not strengthen the livelihood”.

The UP government has constructed around 45,500 such ponds across the state in past two years and over 30 per cent of them remain dry due to lack of planning and flawed design. The average cost of each model pond was about Rs 5 lakh.

For the roads, it has specifically suggested that only gravel roads should be taken up in the villages because earthen roads wash away during rainy season. To avoid failure of wells and optimum utilization of the expenditure, certificates from groundwater department for the availability of water would have to be taken before sanctioning the work.

For tree plantation, it has been advised the fruit trees should be given priority for roadside plantation as they are more durable and of utility. If plantation of fruit trees is proposed, then a provision for their maintenance for the next three to four years should also be made in the estimate of the project.

A senior officer in the Ministry of Rural Development said that in 2008, nine broad categories of “permissible works” were defined, but then the focus was more on employment generation. Also, it was assumed the state governments would automatically keep certain specifications in mind. Since this has not happened, the need for a manual was felt.

Said the official, “In many places, the assets that have been created are of no benefit. The aim of the scheme is to give work to the poor but at the same time we have to ensure the assets created strengthen the livelihood of that village. This work manual will assist the state governments in this task.”

The Indian Express, 18 June, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Centre-shifts-NREGA-focus--targets-assets-creation/805472/


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