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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | NREGA in Karnataka, seat by seat, year by year -Johnson TA

NREGA in Karnataka, seat by seat, year by year -Johnson TA

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published Published on Apr 17, 2013   modified Modified on Apr 17, 2013
-The Indian Express


Bangalore: An analysis of usage of funds under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) programme in 156 of the assembly constituencies in Karnataka, which is headed for elections next month, has revealed a continuous decline over the last three years on several parameters, such as average expenditure per constituency, percentage of households employed and average daily wages.

The analysis by the IndiaGoverns Research Institute, an NGO, has also found that constituencies with BJP or independent MLAs in government have, on an average, used more NREGA funds than those represented by the opposition Congress and JDS.

In 2011-12, the average NREGA expenditure per constituency for the state fell to Rs 4.74 crore, from Rs 12.95 crore in 2009-10 and Rs 9.14 crore in 2010-11. And while constituencies with BJP MLAs reported an average expenditure of Rs 5.51 crore last year, those with JDS legislators reported an average of Rs 4.41 crore and those with Congress ones only Rs 3.74 crore.

IndiaGoverns has not put out a subjective analysis of the decline in usage of the scheme. An economic researcher associated with the institute, Dr Vinod Vyasulu, said it could be due to increased job availability beyond NREGA.

The number of households with job cards that were employed, 67 per cent in 2009-10, slipped to 43 per cent in 2010-11 and to 30 per cent in 2011-12. The average person-days of employment fell from 55 to 45 and then to 42.

"The decrease in overall spending by the state over the last three years is very unusual. It has not been seen anywhere else," said Prof James Manor of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, who is studying NREGA around the country.

Two aspects of concern from the analysis by IndiaGoverns, according to Prof Manor, is the drop in average daily wages to Rs 64 last year, and the fact that in 65 seats more than 40 per cent of the money had been spent on materials rather than wages. "There is something wrong there," Prof Manor said.

The comparatively poor performance in constituencies with opposition representatives, Prof Manor said, could be a factor of a stifling of the programme in such territories.

Over the three years, BJP constituencies among the 156 spent an average Rs 28.36 crore each, including Rs 11.34 crore on materials and Rs 16.49 crore on wages. Six constituencies represented by Independents who were part of the BJP government spent Rs 36.07 crore each, including Rs 14.76 crore on materials and Rs 20.95 crore on wages.

This was against the state average of Rs 26.83 crore per constituency, including Rs 10.45 crore on materials and Rs 15.89 crore on wages. In Congress seats, the average was 25.13 crore; in JDS ones, it was Rs 22.73 crore.

Among prominent political leaders, B S Yeddyurappa's Shikharipura constituency spent Rs 5.78 crore in 2011-12 and Rs 9.48 crore in 2010-11. Leader of the opposition Siddaramaiah's Varuna spent Rs 2.81 crore last year and Rs 3.84 crore in 2010-11.

"Though NREGA is not a programme directly under the control of an MLA and it is the block development officers who implement it, the MLAs can exercise outside control. Though there are problems, I think it is good programme," said Prof Manor.

According to IndiaGoverns director Dr Veena Ramanna, a mathematician from IIT, the aim of the institute in analysing development data is to "make the dialogue between MLAs and citizens better informed rather than relying only on perceptions".

THE CONTRAST

Rs 36.07 cr

Average spending per seat held by six independent MLAs who were part of govt, 2009-10 to 2011-12

Rs 28.36 cr

Average spending per BJP seat, same period

Rs 25.13 cr

Three-year average per Congress seat

Rs 22.73 cr

Three-year average per JDS seat

The decline

Rs 12.95 cr

Spent per constituency (156 studied) in 2009-10

Rs 9.14 cr

Average per seat in 2010-11

Rs 4.74 cr

Per seat in 2009-10


The Indian Express, 17 April, 2013, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/nrega-in-karnataka-seat-by-seat-year-by-year/1103525/0


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