36
S
tate
of
I
ndia
’
s
L
ivelihoods
R
eport
2015
technically skilled to provide supervision,
special financial assistance for social audit
units, placing cluster facilitation teams for
ensuring convergence with other schemes,
creating dash boards for providing informa-
tion inNREGA Soft (IT platform) and a plan
for roadside tree plantation for promoting
ecological balance. These changes in pro-
gramme content, implementation process
and improved monitoring are expected to
bring about a change in the utility of the
results arising fromNREGSwork (Figure 3.6).
Sixty per cent of the work to be taken
up in the district should be for creation of
productive assets such as land development,
water security and tree plantations, which
means that
`
250 billion under MGNREGS
will flow into agriculture-related activities.
A special provision of three per cent of the
value of work has been created for techni-
cal supervision of the work done. This has
been introduced to ensure that technical
manpower guides the planning and execu-
tion of physical work which otherwise does
not get done in a manner that is sustainable.
The labour to material ratio for work taken
up by agencies other than gram panchayat
will be reckoned at the district level. This
change is likely to facilitate a flow of
`
80
billion for essential infrastructure such as
minor irrigation. The third change envis-
aged is focus on convergence with other
departments resulting in better technical
guidance, increased professionalism and
more resources for the work that is carried
out. A participatory planning exercise was
carried out to create a shelf of projects with
quantified physical outcomes (Table 3.5)
Table 3.5:
NREGS works based on participatory planning for 2015–16
Work category name/work
sub category name/work type
New works identified during planning exercise
No. of new works
Unit
Estimated outcome
Estimated cost
(in lakhs)
Water
4,19,548
Hec.
30,57,527
4,96,841.93
Irrigation
3,92,619
Hec.
9,18,924
8,10,094.56
Afforestation/horticulture
5,13,618
Hec.
6,15,374
6,19,280.47
Agriculture
3,90,922
Hec.
2,02,077
3,07,214.04
Allied sector
4,06,568
Nos.
2,39,375
1,66,457.11
Roads
4,02,789
KM.
1,80,216
95,525.85
Sanitation
6,37,091
Nos.
6,37,091
47,155.01
GP Bhawan/BNRGSK
4,775
Nos.
13,101
15,861.84
IAY/Housing Scheme
53,632
Nos.
53,632
8,935.49
Other works
8,68,030
Nos.
8,68,030
54,767.93
Grand Total
40,89,592
26,22,134.23
Source:
Brochure on NREGS, MoRD, GoI 2015.
•
In some places, only female workers are
interested in availing of work as market
wage for males is much higher, resulting
in only small works of lesser utility being
undertaken instead of big and tangible
projects.
•
Need to avoid projects with single or
small number of beneficiaries and the use
of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA funds in a
supply-driven mode.
So there is an urgent need to revamp the
Mahatma Gandhi NREGA to prevent its
misuse and make it a development-oriented
programme creating tangible and meaningful
assets and infrastructure including tourism-
related infrastructure or some large agriculture-
related activities.
Source:
Excerpted from
Economic Survey
2013–14
, Ministry of Finance, Government of
India, 2014.
