There is a silver lining to the drought that hit India in 2009-10. Although it sapped the country's growth, it led to an almost doubling of physical assets created under the government's flagship rural employment scheme that year. The drought of 2009-10 was the worst that the country had faced in 17 years. As regular jobs in the farm sector dried up, more people sought work under the Mahatma Gandhi National...
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Fund squeeze for flagship schemes
For most schemes, the increases have been nominalThe Union Budget goes eloquent about the virtues of the flagship schemes of the UPA government but Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee has kept a tight fist while allocating funds, whether for the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) or those under the umbrella of Bharat Nirman.Though the finance minister referred to wages under the 100-day employment programme having being increased after being indexed...
More »CAG wants to audit rural job scheme by Subodh Ghildiyal
Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has asked the Centre to make an institutionalised audit system for job guarantee scheme with a key role for it. CAG said MGNREGA accounts should be audited in every district annually by Local Fund Audit or chartered accountants appointed by state governments, and they should be empowered to give orders on how to audit. CAG has demanded the right to audit MGNREGA accounts at the frequency...
More »CAG proposes, Rural Development Ministry disposes by K Balchand
The Union Ministry for Rural Development has set up a committee to consider afresh the suggestions made by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) to strengthen the process of social auditing of expenditure under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) and check corrupt practices. “Old game” Civil society leaders charge that the Ministry and the bureaucracy are at their old game of endlessly delaying the process by...
More »Rural job plan turns 5, but wages need to grow more by Prasad Nichenametla
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, UPA’s flagship aam admi scheme, turns five on Wednesday. However, more than 30% of the rural India working under the right-to-work act would continue to receive wages below the guaranteed minimum as per the minimum wages act. On January 14, the ministry of rural development issued a notification revising the wage rates under the MNREGA from Rs 100 per day to between...
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