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LATEST NEWS UPDATES | 'We'll expose irregularities in NREGA for better implementation of the law'

'We'll expose irregularities in NREGA for better implementation of the law'

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published Published on May 30, 2010   modified Modified on May 30, 2010


Various ways and means of checking irregularities in the implementation of rural employment guarantee scheme have been discussed. One suggestion is that workers employed under this scheme ought to be organised. The first step in this direction was the formation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Workers' Union - Gujarat (NREGWUG), which was followed by other similar efforts in Rajasthan, parts of Uttar Pradesh and elsewhere. Paulomee Mistry , general secretary of NREGWUG, speaks to Bharat Dogra :

How did the idea of forming a union of NREGA workers evolve?

This union grew out of the efforts and thinking of Disha, Eklavya Sangathan and sister organisations. They have been active for a long time in organising unorganised sections like farm workers, forest workers and migrant workers in the tribal belt of Gujarat. Much before the NREGA was enacted, for several years these organisations had been demanding employment guarantee and their slogan was 'employment as sure as sunrise'.

NREGA was like a dream come true and immediately efforts were launched to take the details of this law and the employment scheme formed under this law to more and more people. Over a period of six months we organised meetings for this purpose in 537 villages. This campaign culminated in a mass meeting at Godhra attended by nearly 6,000 workers from six districts. At this meeting we decided to form the NREGWUG. As most of our previous work had been based on forming unions of unorganised sector workers, this idea of a union of NREGA workers occurred naturally to us.

How has your union contributed to better implementation of NREGA?

Our first effort has been to take details of this employment guarantee to more and more villages. For example in January 2008, youths on cycles covered a wide rural belt and organised 137 meetings on NREGA. Such was the response of the people that a mass meeting had to be organised at the end of the cycle yatra although it was not in our plan earlier. When we get complaints of irregularities and neglect of essential provisions, union representatives take up the matter with the concerned authorities. When this doesn't work, we resort to rallies, dharnas and other peaceful actions. We use the right to information extensively to get details about the actual peformance of NREGA in various areas and also take legal action wherever necessary. Our efforts have resulted in action against corrupt persons at several places.

We are very clear that while we'll expose all irregularities, we also want to work for the successful, honest implementation of NREGA. We have a strong faith in the potential of this law to help the weaker sections in our rural areas.

Apart from providing badly needed work to weaker sections, does your union has a wider vision of NREGA?

Our union has worked in close collaboration with organisations of tribal peasants and other forest dwellers that are trying to protect their land rights. So we definitely have a vision of sustainable livelihoods based on not only protection of land rights but also on conservation of water and all-round improvement. NREGA can be very useful in improving the green cover and in water conservation and this is really the basis of sustainable livelihoods. This is now becoming even more important because of prolonged drought and adverse weather conditions.

 


The Times of India, 31 May, 2010, http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/home/opinion/edit-page/Well-expose-irregularities-in-NREGA-for-better-implementation-of-the-law/articleshow/5991731.cms


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