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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | UN report hails NREGA, urges other nations to emulate feat by Pradeep Thakur

UN report hails NREGA, urges other nations to emulate feat by Pradeep Thakur

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published Published on May 13, 2011   modified Modified on May 13, 2011
At home, the government is facing a barrage of allegations over corruption in public affairs, but here the Congress-led UPA-II was hailed for embracing an inclusive scheme like National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA).

On Tuesday, the United Nations released a Global Assessment Report (GAR), praising NREGA and asked other nations to emulate the programme that has helped empower millions of marginalized.

In a power-point presentation made during the release of the report, a special mention was made of the NREGA's "effective decentralized planning and implementation" and its benefits reaching out to millions of poor across the country through "proactive disclosures and mandatory social audits of all projects". In India, the employment programme has already benefitted 41 million households till date, GAR said.

India's political establishment and its top bureaucracy that has to contend with several corruption cases being investigated under strict monitoring of the Supreme Court came in for praise as the UN report gave credit to the success of the NREGA programme to "the impetus provided by strong political will and a committed high-level bureaucracy".

The second edition of the GAR, which was released after two years, is a vital resource document used for understanding and analyzing global disaster risk and how communities worldwide can be strengthened to cope with natural calamities such as earthquakes, floods, drought and cyclones.

Drawing on new data, the latest report explores trends in disaster risk for each region and for countries with different socio-economic development.

UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon endorsed employment programmes and cash transfer to marginalized section of the society as important strategies that have the potential to reduce disaster risk and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. The endorsement of cash transfer scheme to poor will certainly help the UPA-II to ward off any criticism as it prepares to roll out yet another ambitious programme before the next parliamentary elections in 2014. "Seriously addressing disaster risk will be one of the hallmarks of good governance," Ki-moon said.

However, the report called for more transparent approach to be adopted by the governments in implementing these schemes. "Whereas such laws are important, but they do not necessarily strengthen actual accountability unless they are supported by penalties and effective performance based rewards," the report said.

Ever since NREGA has been launched, the government has drawn flak for not maintaining a proper account of how the money is being spent.

The Comptroller and Auditor General had raised doubts a few years ago about the misuse of funds and huge unspent amount lying idle in bank accounts of local implementing agencies and NGOs, rendering the programme ineffective.

The Central Bureau of Investigation has started investigation into alleged misappropriation and diversion of funds in Orissa, amounting to more than Rs 500 crore. The agency is probing funds misuse in Bolangir, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Rayagada, Koraput and Nabarangpur districts in Orissa.

The Times of India, 11 May, 2011, http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2011-05-11/india/29531994_1_disaster-risk-nrega-ki-moon


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