Rural Development in India
By
Brig (retd) D S Dhillon
(Armoured Corps)
On retirement from the army in June 2000 I have been active in various activities in the civil to earn money for having adequate financial resources to meet the day to day requirements as also participate in social activities that enable me to be an active member of society.
I was fortunate to have been selected as a National level Monitor (NLM) by the Ministry of Rural development in 2004 to visit rural areas and provide feed back about the schemes undertaken by the Central Govt.
Sampooran Grameen Rozgar Yojna (SGRY) - This scheme has now been closed. NREGA has now been made applicable in all districts of India with effect from April 2008. The NREGA on enactment in Sep 2005 was first made applicable to only a few districts in 2006. Thereafter, in 2007 additional districts were added. Now, it is applicable to complete rural areas of India.
Summary of guidelines as contained in the Act are as below. Each state has formulated its own Schemes for implementation based on the NREGA act, 2005. Each state was given one year from 06 March 2007 to have their schemes formulated.
“National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA)
The wage employment program implemented in the past by Government of India have been aiming at generating incomes for rural poor during lean periods and have been protecting the vulnerable sections from the distress of acute poverty.
In order to reinforce the commitment towards livelihood security in rural areas, the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was enacted in September 2005.
Objectives - NREGA
Aims at enhancing the livelihood security of the people in rural areas by guaranteeing 100 days of wage employment in a financial year, to a rural household whose members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.
- The objective of the Act is to create durable assets and strengthen the livelihood resource base of the rural poor.
NREGA was launched in 200 selected districts on 2nd Feb. 2006 in Phase I and was extended to 130 more districts in 2007-08 in Phase II. It was extended to the remaining 285 districts from 1st April, 2008 onwards in Phase III.
The focus of the Act is on works relating to soil & water conservation, drought proofing, land development, flood protection, rural connectivity etc.
The choice of works suggested in the Act, addresses causes of chronic poverty like drought, ground water depletion, deforestation, soil erosion, so that the process of employment generation is on a sustainable basis and productivity of land also improves.
Main Features - NREGA
- Adult members of a rural household may apply for a job card if they are willing to do unskilled manual work.
- Such a household will have to apply for registration to the local Gram Panchayat, in writing, or orally.
- The Gram Panchayat after due verification will issue a Job Card to the household as a whole.
- Job card-holding household(s) may submit a written application for employment to the gram Panchayat.
- Employment will be given within 15 days of application for work by an employment seeker.
- At least one-third of persons to whom work is allotted work, have to be women.
- Wages are to be paid according to minimum wages as prescribed under the Minimum Wages Act 1948 for agricultural labourers in the State, unless the Centre notifies a wage rate which will not be less than Rs 60/ per day.
- Disbursement of wages has to be done on weekly basis and not beyond a fortnight.
- Panchayati Raj Institutions [PRIs] have a principal role in planning and implementation.
Under the programme the workers are also entitled to have medical treatment (including hospitalization) at government cost for injury while working, ex-gratia payment to the legal heirs of the deceased or permanently disabled workers by accident arising out of and in the course of employment, facilities such as safe drinking water, shade for children, first aid box and crèche facility for children below 6 years of age of the female workers.”
In Feb / March 2009 I visited the districts of Bikaner and Dhaulpur. I will share my experience in next write up.
Summary – NREGA is applicable to BPL and non BPL families. There is no age, religion or sex bias. If you belong to a village have yourself registered under NREGA. Spend 100 days in your village, work in a collective manner and earn daily wages. The program has not only given financial resources to the gram Panchayats but provided them the incentive to create assets with a lasting utility.
Payments are made by the Panchayat.
The DRDA staff has 3% fund resources for administrative infrastructure and hiring technical/administrative staff.
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