NREGA: Opportunities and Challenges - Diksha

NREGA: OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGESthe districts, which are marking good progress under the NREGA, have focused on water conservation.The government can either direct this through a mandate – set a minimum number of water conservationworks to be undertaken using the NREGA funds. Or it can incentivise this through its guidelines – pay higherwages for water related works. We would prefer the latter.More importantly, the scheme must begin to measure the effectiveness of the work done. This ‘measure’will also incentivise the creation and most importantly, the completion of works under the programme.4. Give importance to afforestation under NREGA by linking it to other forestry programmes– Joint Forest Management or watershedsPlantation is a permissible work under NREGA. It is also clear that the bulk of the NREGA districts are alsoforest districts. Forests play a critical role in the livelihood of people – provide fodder and produce. It is alsoclear that plantation or afforestation is critical for protecting the catchments of the water structures createdunder NREGA. Afforestation of degraded forest is beneficial for recharging groundwater. In many placespanchayats have not been able to take up plantation in the catchments of water bodies as that belong toforest departments. This requires coordination between the implementing panchayat and the land-holdingforest department. The village must also get benefits of the plantation and protection. Plantation underwatershed development programmes and also the Joint Forest Management (JFM) must be included inNREGA and this link must be established and worked upon.5. Make completion and maintenance of works under NREGA compulsoryTwo years after they were begun, almost 80 per cent of the works under NREGA remain incomplete. Asthere is no provision in the NREGA to factor in completion of work in the overall planning, stategovernments have found an easy way out: they have initiated a large number of works, and abandonedthem mid-way. In many states, structures built under theprogramme have simply been washed away by themonsoons.Afforestation of degradedforest is beneficial forrecharging groundwater. Inmany places panchayats havenot been able to take upplantation in the catchmentsof water bodies as thatThe act does not have any mechanism either to ensuremaintenance of the works. As a result, even the works thathave been completed are wasting away due to lack ofmaintenance. Technically, if the works are on governmentlands, panchayats are responsible for their maintenance.But maintenance requires money, and panchayats aredesperately short of funds that can help maintain such alarge number of works.belong to forestIt is, therefore, crucial that work completion be madeinherent in the NREGA. To this effect, the government candepartments. This requiresintroduce feasible time frames for completing a work. Oncoordination between the the other hand, maintenance of works must be broughtunder the NREGA’s purview, and panchayats be providedimplementing panchayat andwith special funds for maintenance based on the number ofthe land-holding forest new works.department. The village must6. Focus on village level planning to makealso get benefits of the NREGA effective.Under the NREGA, panchayats are required to prepareplantation and protectionannual village development plans that involve extensivemapping of village resources and consultation with the gramsabha. The annual plan, with its proposals, is thenforwarded to the programme coordinator attached to the block or district administration. This coordinator(invariably an overworked and under-qualified junior engineer) is then expected to scrutinize the plan fortechnical feasibility and to submit a consolidated statement to the district coordinator. The district levelagency is expected to clear the proposal, consolidate the plan into its district plan, with a blockwise list of57