Some Important Programmes in Livelihoods: Searching for Focus?
31
one or two years later. Even the roads are
mostly earthwork roads without black top-
ping. Renovation of existing tanks typically
entails deepening, desilting and strength-
ening of bunds, but all involve earthwork.
Means and methods of ensuring that works
completed under NREGS become long
term assets to improve productivity, create
employment opportunities and provide
access to basic needs over a sustained period
of time, should be explored.
The Accountability Initiative pointed
out
5
that the budget allocation in the cur-
rent year has beenmarginally more than the
previous year and in real terms this may be
actually less compared to the funds provided
in 2011–12. The timing of fund releases has
slowed down considerably in 2014–15 lead-
ing to crowding of works towards the end
of the year and consequently creation of a
lower number of man days. Several states
had been short funded. In the year 2013–14,
the state governments spent much more
than the total funds released by the Centre,
resulting in an outstanding liability of
`
55.12 billion in the beginning of 2014–15.
A redeeming feature has been the creation
of a high proportion of employment having
been generated in the most backward dis-
tricts. Fifty five per cent of the MGNREGS
workers were women in 2014–15. Most
states achieved the threshold of 33 per cent
women being employed. However, four
states viz. Uttar Pradesh, Jammu&Kashmir,
Nagaland and Assam failed to achieve this
33 per cent threshold of women’s participa-
tion during the year 2014–15.
The Scheme, however, does not seem
to enjoy the whole-hearted support of the
policy establishment. In an article,
6
Jagdish
Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya (currently
the Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog) described
Table 3.2:
Works taken up in 2014–15
Work category
Number of works
Amount of expenditure (
`
crores)
Anganwadi
11,856
81.26
Bharat Nirman Rajeev Gandhi Sewa Kendra
44,519
741.61
Coastal areas
1,106
1.89
Drought proofing
1,562,424
1,784.51
Fisheries
12,907
77.71
Flood control and protection
325,788
1,367.61
Food grain
1,107
14.25
Land development
947,488
2,898.35
Micro irrigation works
601,385
1,602.45
Other works
356,926
584.55
Play ground
4,663
28.67
Renovation of traditional water bodies
448,905
4,108.24
Rural connectivity
1,795,721
10,966.62
Rural drinking water
15,683
33.78
Rural sanitation
4,259,602
1,079.37
Water conservation and water harvesting
1,332,100
4,655.34
Works on individuals land (Category IV)
2,507,701
3,615.61
Total
14,229,881
33,641.89
Source:
Presentation to the Programme Review Committee, NREGS, from MoRD website, GoI.
5
Budget Briefs, Volume 7 Issue 6, MGNREGS,
GoI, 15/16- Accountability Initiative, Centre for Policy
Research, New Delhi 2015.
6
Excerpted from an article in
Times of India
by
Jagdish Bhagwati and Arvind Panagariya, 23 October
2014.
