MGNREGA_SAMEEKSHA

54 MGNREGA Sameeksha
6 Governance and Process
Challenges
MGNREGA marks a radical departure
from earlier wage employment
programmes in terms of its legal and
demand-driven framework. However,
there is no denying the fact that there have been
many problems in infusing the system with the new
culture of demand-driven, rights-based, decentralised
decision-making.
In general, the implementation of MGNREGA in
a State can be expected to depend on the quality of
governance. States with better systems of governance
and administration are more likely to have the ability
to run complex programmes more effectively. 1 On
the other hand, poorer states have greater demand
for work under MGNREGA. However, they also have
higher rationing 2 rates and greater unmet demand for
work. This is perhaps because the state institutions
are less capable of implementing MGNREGA.
There is a possibility, therefore, that poorer states
might end up in a vicious cycle in implementation
of MGNREGA. They have higher demand for work
but a lesser capacity to implement MGNREGA
effectively because of institutional factors and end up
with greater unmet demand for work.
Some of these issues have been highlighted in the
previous chapters, for instance, the low participation
of women in some states, low capacity of Gram
Panchayats (GPs), 3 low quality and durability of some
assets, low work-completion rates etc.
This chapter looks at some of the major governance
and process issues in the MGNREGA ‘life-cycle’,
i.e. the initial stage of planning, demand for work,
implementation at work sites, wage payments, etc. as
identified by independent evaluations. It also includes
1
P. Dutta, R. Murgai, M. Ravallion and W. V. Dominique, ‘Does India’s Employment Guarantee Scheme Guarantee
Employment?’ Policy Research Paper, Washington, DC: World Bank, 2012.
2
Ibid. In their study, Dutta, Murgai, Ravallion and Dominique define rationing rate as the proportion amongst those who
wanted work but did not get it.
3
A Gram Panchayat is the primary unit of the three-tier structure of local self governances in rural India, the Panchayati Raj
System. Each Gram Panchayat consists of one or more villages.