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 | Shrink PDS & rework NREGA, World Bank tells India by Sharad Raghavan

Shrink PDS & rework NREGA, World Bank tells India by Sharad Raghavan

Share this article Share this article
published Published on May 19, 2011   modified Modified on May 19, 2011
A World Bank review of India’s social sector programmes has suggested a smaller public distribution system with more cash transfer, reworking of NREGA as a public works programme for urban areas and finally, a social security package including health care for those without regular employment.

The report titled ‘Social Protection for a Changing India’, was commissioned by the Planning Commission. The bank said the three-pillar approach should be combined with social protection block grants by the Centre to state governments that are “more tailored to the poverty and vulnerability profile of the individual state(s)”. The report says the number of poor is sharply increasing in urban areas but not enough plans are being made to help them as social protection programmes are more suitable for rural areas.

The report shows India is spending a good amount for centrally sponsored social schemes which at around 2 per cent of gross domestic product, is higher than what developing countries like China and Indonesia spend. However, it makes the point that while this is large, it tends to be regressive, underlining problems like targeting and capacity constraints within states. It is the first comprehensive review of the performance of India's main anti-poverty and social protection programmes, with the focus naturally falling on big-budget programmes like the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme and the Public Distribution System. The main findings of the report, released here on Wednesday, were presented by John Blomquist, the World Bank's lead economist for social protection in India.

In its study, the report divides the social protection programmes in India into three categories: those designed to protect poor households (PDS, Indira Gandhi National Old Age, Widow and Disabled pensions and NREGA), those designed to prevent households from falling into poverty (Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana, Aam Admi Bima Yojana) and those designed to promote movement out of poverty (National Rural Livelihoods Mission, Mid-day Meals).

About the PDS system, the report says that while it costs 1 per cent of GDP and covers up to 23 per cent of households, its effect on poverty reduction is low due to high leakages to the non-poor — in other words, corruption. Only 41 per cent of the grain released by the government reached the targeted households in 2004-05, the report said. Citing Planning Commission data, the report says that in the early 2000s, a whopping 91.1 per cent of grain allocated for BPL households in Bihar did not reach their intended targets. West Bengal performed the best of all the states in this regard, with 73 per cent of the grain allocated for BPL household reaching the targeted households.

On NREGA, the report said that the allocation for this programme is approximately 0.6 per cent of GDP, up to 2009. It also lauds the inclusion of the poorest i.e.; the scheduled castes, tribals and women as workers in the programme.

However, it also underlined the fact that the NREGA implementation across states was uneven, with Rajasthan at the top, with around 90 per cent implementation and Punjab at the bottom, with around 5 per cent implementation. FE

The Indian Express, 19 May, 2011, http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Shrink-PDS---rework-NREGA--World-Bank-tells-India/792905/


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