Evaluating NREGA

PubIic Interest Foundation releases a study that evaluates performance of NREGA and recommends its overhaul for better results

Akash Bisht Delhi

Public Interest Foundation (PIF) in association with National Council of Applied Economic Research (NCAER) released a study on 'Evaluating Performance of NREGA' in New Delhi today. The study released by Dr Bimal Jalan, Chairman, PIF,(Former governor of RBI), puts together evidence on problems in implementation of NREGA and its achievements so far. Present at the occasion were Naresh Chandra, former Ambassador of India to US, Suresh Neotia, Chairman, Gujarat Ambuja Cement, Arun Maira, Senior Advisor, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Anil Sharma, of NCAER.

Speaking at the occasion Dr Bimal Jalan said, "NREGA is a good scheme especially for poor and thus it is critical to improve the working of NREGA. We therefore, need a simple NREGA without complex administrative procedures, for the common man. Public Interest Foundation has come out with recommendations for the new government to ensure better performance. We, at PIF would endeavour to take the study forward with public discussion and debates on the issue involved to make NREGA simple, efficient and purposeful."

On this occasion PIF also released a document titled 'A Brief Note on Making NREGA Work Better'. Besides other important recommendations this note suggests that the Rural Guarantee Scheme should be implemented not as a Central scheme but as a state scheme mandated under a Central Act.

NREGA is one of the largest public programme initiatives for the benefit of the rural poor which confers the right to guaranteed employment up to 100 days in a year to poor people in rural- areas of India. Hardnews learnt that the findings of the PIF show that the NREGA prescribes a very rigid framework of implementation with complex procedures. The entire process is bureaucratic, involving lot of paper work and causing undue delays. The study also emphasises on generating awareness about the provision of the Act, providing dedicated staff, ensuring fair and authentic system of issuance of job cards, filling up of job cards at the worksites, instituting a grievance redressal system, etc.

Dr Bimal Jalan concluded that there is no way the implementation and outcome of the scheme can be improved unless there is a national and all party consensus. "The next government, whether it's the first, second, third or fourth front, should continue the good work initiated by this government and it should be entirely apolitical," he said.