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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | Key govt plans falter owing to shortage of manpower by Subodh Varma

Key govt plans falter owing to shortage of manpower by Subodh Varma

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published Published on Feb 21, 2011   modified Modified on Feb 21, 2011
Four mega-programmes of the government, meant to tackle big-ticket issues like child nutrition, school education, health and employment, appear to be faltering not because funds are short but because adequate manpower has not been put in place. This is the surprising finding of a new study done by the Center for Budget and Governance Accountability (CBGA), a New Delhi based think tank.

The four mega-programs are Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), which delivers nutrition to under-6 children; Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA) for elementary education; National Rural Health Mission for delivering basic health services to rural areas; and Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) for providing employment in rural areas. The UPA government has spent Rs.2,55,033 crore over the past four years on these programs, which involve the country’s whole population between them.

The root of the problem lies in the state governments’ drive to lower their budget deficit by restricting non-plan expenditure, under which staff for development schemes could be appointed, says Subrat Das, director CBGA. The Center too has been unwilling to help by giving more “untied” resources to states over the past decade.

“In the absence of adequate number of trained personnel, the States are struggling to expand the coverage of flagship schemes. Hence, actual expenditure falls far short of the sanctioned budgets for schemes, and the quality of expenditure remains sub-optimal,” he says.

ICDS functions through anganwadi workers and helpers deployed one each per thousand population. They are guided by supervisors and project officers. The CBGA study found that 16% of helpers’ and 22% of workers’ posts were vacant countrywide. In some states vacancies are much more – in Chhattisgarh 44% workers’ posts and 40% helpers’ posts were vacant, while in Bihar 93% of supervisors’ posts are vacant. Nationally, 43% of supervisors and 36% of project officers have not been appointed against sanctioned posts. For the 11th Plan, ICDS had been allotted Rs.42400 cr over 5 years. In four years they should have utilized about Rs.34000 cr. But actual utilization is only Rs.27,384 cr.

In the National Rural Health Mission, there is a
shocking shortfall of 64% among doctors and other specialists at the community health center level. Among the states showing massive vacancies in specialists, Gujarat (93%), Haryana (89%) and Jharkhand (82%) are prominent. At the primary health center level, 16% of doctors are yet to be appointed. The frontline health delivery is done by ASHA’s – one for each village. Although 8.3 lakh ASHAs have been appointed, only 3.2 lakh have received the stipulated 5-module training. 11th Plan allocation for NRHM was nearly Rs.90,000 cr. About 80% should have been spent by now but actual expenditure is only 58%. Data till September 2010 shows that over Rs.10,597 cr was lying unspent with state governments.

UPA government’s most ambitious scheme MGNREGS is implemented through gram panchayats. In the past 4 years, Rs.121861 cr have been spent on it. That’s 122% of the 11th Plan allocation. Yet, some of the key personnel which guide its implementation at the ground level are absent. The pointperson at the village level is the Gram Rozgar Sahayak. In several states they have not been appointed. There are 83% vacancies in MP, 63% in Uttarakhand and 51% in Punjab. Another key functionary is the engineer or technical assistant who prepares plans for the civil works to be done. In Punjab and West Bengal 70% of these posts are lying vacant, while at the national level 34% posts are vacant. Over 28% posts of accountants and 23% posts of computer assistants are also vacant.

In SSA, the government has spent Rs.54,371 cr in the past 4 years. Yet, the most crucial element in education – teachers – are not being appointed. Of the 10.8 lakh teachers posts sanctioned, 8.8 lakh teachers are in place, leaving a shortfall of nearly 2 lakh teachers. This shortage of teachers may open the door for appointment of ill-qualified para-teachers spelling doom for the lofty goal of providing ‘quality’ education under the Right to Education Act. That quality education is at low priority is also shown by the fact that of the Rs.4000 cr allocated for teachers’ training in the 11th Plan, only Rs.1444 cr, that is 36% have been spent in 4 years.

The Times of India, 21 February, 2011, http://epaper.timesofindia.com/Default/Scripting/ArticleWin.asp?From=Archive&Source=Page&Skin=TOINEW&BaseHref=CAP/2011/02/21&PageLabel=9&EntityId=Ar00900&ViewMod


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