MGNREGA
Marching towards achieving the
Millennium Development Goals-an Analysis.
S.KRISHNAN, RESEARCH SCHOLAR,GRI.6243032.
Absract
The Government of India enacted the National Rural Employment Act in the year
2005,to provide 100 days of emplyment to a registered,demanded household in a
year, it came in to forceon february 2,2006
in 200 backward districts and implmented in a phased manner in all
Districts.The main and foremost objective of the scheme is to eradicate poverty
by providing productive guaranted wage employment and strengthening natural
resource manegement.This objectives addresses the first,third and seventh MDGs
,this paper attempts to assess the achivements of the MGNREGA in addressing the MDGs.
Key words:
MDGs,MGNREGA, Environmental
Sustainabiliy, Gender Equality,Eradication of poverty.
Introduction
The Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs) and targets come from the Millennium
Declaration, signed by 189
countries, including 147 heads of State and Government, in September 2000.The
eight (8) Goals are : 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger 2: Achieve
Universal Primary Education,3:Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women , 4:
Reduce Child Mortality, 5: Improve Maternal Health 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria
and TB, 7:Ensure Environmental Sustainabiliy,8:Develop Global Partnership for
Development. Even after the dramatic Economic growth and a food surplus,
the country is still suffering from alarming hunger and is 78 out of 81 in a developing countries study
(IFPRI,2011).Urgent attention is needed by parlimentarians to drive through
reforms which improve and save the lives of millions of people. To reduce poverty and end extreme poverty the
symptoms of poverty must be considered and understand and stakeholders must be
involved in the dicision making process so that the solutions are practical and
can be implemented.The majority of the Indian population are dependent on
agriculture and therfore special attention has been placed on increasing the
amount of money invested in the sector. However, for poverty eradication
to accelerate, a combination of measures including providing employment and
giving equal opportunities in employment, wages and decision making, which all
need to be improved urgently so that the vicious circle of poverty is broken.To achive this The National Rural
Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was enacted on 5th September,
2005 and came into force w.e.f. 2nd February, 2006. On 31st December,
2009, the Act was renamed by an Amendment as the Mahatma Gandhi National
Rural Employment Guarantee Act, 2005. The scheme provides a legal
guarantee for one hundred days of employment in every financial year to
adult members of any rural household willing to do public work-related unskilled
manual work at the statutory minimum wage. Thus the Act aims at enhancing
the livelihood security of people in rural areas. Thus besides providing
employment MGNREGA regenerates the rural sector improving infrastructure and
enhancing agricultural productivity.
Poverty Scenario in India:
Poverty in India is
widespread, with the nation estimated to have a third of the world's poor. In
2010, World Bank
stated, 32.7% of the total Indian people fall below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 per
day (PPP) while 68.7% live on less than US$ 2
per day. According to a new poverty Development Goals Report, as many as 320
million people in India and China are expected to come out of extreme poverty
in the next four years, while India's poverty rate is projected to drop to 22%
in 2015. The report also indicates that in Southern Asia, however, only India,
where the poverty rate is projected to fall from 51% in 1990 to about 22% in
2015, is on track to cut poverty in half by the 2015 target date. The Arjun Sengupta Report (from National Commission for Enterprises in the Unorganised Sector), based on data between the period 1993-94 and 2004–05, states that 77% of Indians live on less than 20 a day (about $0.50 per day). The N.C. Saxena Committee report states, on account of calorific intake apart from nominal income, that 50% of Indians live below the poverty line.
A study by the Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative using a Multi-dimensional Poverty Index (MPI) found that there were 650 million people (53.7% of population) living in poverty in India, of which 340 million people (28.6% of the population) were living in severe poverty, and that a further 198 million people (16.4% of the population) were vulnerable to poverty. 421 million of the poor are concentrated in eight North Indian and East Indian states of Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal. This number is higher than the 410 million poor living in the 26 poorest African nations. Estimates by NCAER (National Council of Applied Economic Research) show that 48% of the Indian households earn more than 90,000 (US$1,638) annually (or more than US$ 3 PPP per person). According to NCAER, in 2009, of the 222 million households in India, the absolutely poor households (annual incomes below 45,000) accounted for only 15.6% of them or about 35 million (about 200 million Indians). Another 80 million households are in income levels of 45,000– 90,000 per year. These numbers also are more or less in line with the latest World Bank estimates of the “below-the-poverty-line” households that may total about 100 million (or about 456 million individuals) In its Ninth Five-Year Plan (1997–2002), BPL for rural areas was set at annual family income less than Rs. 20,000, less than two hectares land, and no television or refrigerator. The number of rural BPL families was 650,000 (6.5 lakh) during the 9th Plan. The survey based on this criterion was again carried out in 2002 and the total number of 3,87,000 (3.87 lakh) families were identified. This figure was in force until September 2006. The poverty line was originally fixed in terms of income/food requirements in 1978. It was stipulated that the calorie standard for a typical individual in rural areas was 2400 calorie and was 2100 calorie in urban areas. Then the cost of the grains (about 650 gms) that fulfil this normative standard was calculated. This cost was the poverty line. In 1978, it was Rs. 61.80 per person per month for rural areas and Rs. 71.30 for urban areas. Since then the Planning Commission calculates the poverty line every year adjusting for inflation. The poverty line in recent years is as follows - (Rs.per month per head) 328 rural and 454 urban in 2000-2001 and 368 rural and 560 urban in 2005-06.
MGNREGA OF INDIA
The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA has
become a powerful instrument for inclusive growth in rural India through its impact
on social protection, livelihood security and democratic governance.
The Act came into force on
February 2, 2006 and was implemented in a phased manner. In Phase
I it was introduced in 200 of the
most backward districts of the country. It was implemented in an additional 130
districts in Phase II 2007-2008. The Act was notified in the remaining rural
districts of India from April 1, 2008 in Phase III. (All rural districts were
covered under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA) Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is the first ever law
internationally that guarantees wage employment at an unprecedented scale. The
primary objective of the Act is augmenting wage employment. Its auxiliary
objective is strengthening natural resource management through works that
address causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation and soil erosion
and so encourage sustainable development. The process outcomes include
strengthening grassroot processes of democracy and infusing transparency and
accountability in governance.
Salient Features
of the Act.
(a) Adult members of
a rural household willing to do unskilled manual work,may apply for
registration either
in writing, or orally to the local Gram Panchayat (GP) (b) The unit for registration
is a household, each household is entitled to a 100 days of employment every
year. (c) After due verification of place of residence and age of the member/s
(only adult members are eligible for employment), the registered household is
issued a Job Card (JC) within 15 days of
registration. Job Card forms the basis of identification for demanding
employment. (d) A written application seeking work is to be made to the GP or
Block Office, stating the time and duration for which work is sought. (e) The
GP will issue a dated receipt of the written application for employment,
against which the guarantee of providing employment within 15 days operates, in
case employment is not provided within 15 days, the state (as per the Act) will
pay an unemployment allowance to the beneficiary. (f) Work is provided within 5
kilometres (kms) radius of the village, in case, work is provided beyond 5 kms,
extra wages of 10 per cent are payable to meet additional transportation and
living expenses. (g) Priority is awarded to women, such that at least one-third
of the beneficiaries under the Scheme are women. (h) At least 50 per cent of
works, in terms of cost, are to be executed by the GPs. (i) The cost of
material component of projects including the wages of the skilled and
semi-skilled workers taken up under the Scheme shall not exceed 40 percent of
the total project costs. (j) Contractors and use of labour displacing machinery
are prohibited. (k) Work site facilities such as crèche, drinking water, shade
have to be provided. (l)
Wages are to be paid as per the State-wise Government of India (GoI) notified
MGNREGA wages, Wages are also to be paid according to piece rate, as per the
Schedule of Rates (SoRs), payment of wages has
to be done on a weekly basis and not beyond a fortnight in any case, payment of wages is mandatorily done through
bank/post office beneficiary accounts. (m)
Water Conservation and water harvesting including contour trenches, contour
bundst, Drought Proofing including plantation and afforestation,Irrigation
canals including micro and minor irrigation works, Renovation of traditional
water bodies including desilting of tanks, Land Development, Flood control and
protection works including drainage in water logged areas construction of storm
water drains for coastal protection works were given importance while selecting
the works.
Review of releated
Literature
Nair K.N et.al(2009) observes that wage rate for
women workers in agricultural works has shot up from Rs. 80 to Rs. 110 for a
full day’s work. Even though many new workers are coming into the rural labour
market as a result of the NREGA, many of them are young workers, who are not
willing to work in the agricultural sector.The unwillingness of workers to come
for agricultural works is mainly due to low wages with more efforts in
agricultural works. Rebecca Holmes( 2010)et .al
Survey finds that MGNREGA has improved
economic status and decision-making power slightly for some women in some
households, mostly in terms of their own decision making on what food items
they prefer to be bought for household consumption. Rakesh Tiwari
et,al,.(2011) records that desilting
has provided several sustained environmental services, including a rise
in the groundwater level,an increase in irrigated area and better soil fertility,
thereby increasing food production, and contributing to water and food security
in the villages of drought-prone Chitradurga district In Chitradurga, about 62%
of the total cultivable land is dryland. Only about 9% of cropland (63,631 ha)
is irrigated. Further, 79% of the irrigated land is dependent on tube wells, 9%
each on tanks and canals and 3% on open wells. Among the 20 sample villages, this
activity was studied , the study revealed that the construction of percolation
tanks and check dams under the NREGA in Chitradurga district enhanced environmental
services through recharging shallow aquifers, increasing the water available
for agriculture, and locally reducing soil erosion by trapping soil in check
dams. The direct and major benefits of these structures will be arresting
run-off rates and improving percolation. The percolation potential of the
villages studied improved by 1,000-28,000 cubic meters a year. A.P. Palanichamy (2011) done a case
study on 100 respondents and the
chi-square value is less than 0.05, and the researcher concluded that there is
Relationship between annual income before joining MGNREGP and annul income
after joining MGNREGP. Thus it may conclude that the total annual income
progressively changes in the family because of MGNREGP. Hence there are
significant changes in income before and after implementing MGNREGP .At the
same time he further reports that there is a
gap in getting job in MGNREGP and says that all the respondents (100) got employment only for 15
days. HARSIMRAN SINGH (2012) Reports that Women’s empowerment was
not among the original intentions of the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (NREGA), and is not among its main objectives. However, provisions like
priority for women in the ratio of one-third of total workers (Schedule II
(6)); equal wages for men and women (Schedule II (34)); and crèches for the
children of women workers (Schedule II (28)) were made in the Act, with the
view of ensuring that rural women benefit from the scheme in a certain manner.
Provisions like work within a radius of five kilometers from the house, absence
of supervisor and contractor, and flexibility in terms of choosing period and
months of employment were not made exclusively for women, but have been
conducive for rural women. Nevertheless, women have availed of the paid
employment opportunity under MGNREGA in large numbers.S.Krishnan et.al (2012)
finds that 77 percent of the respondents spent more then 50 percent of their MGNREGA
earned income for food consumption and also reported that they are in a
position to fulfil their basic needs from this income. 80 percent of the
respondents reports that they save lessthen 25 percent of their
MGNREGA earnings due to their poor economic conditions, he further
reports that the water conservation works undertaken under this scheme has
directly provided employment and increased area of paddy cultivation from 54
hectares to 71 hectares and pave the way to improve the livilihood and food security of the
villagers.
Methodology
The
present study follows descriptive and diagnostic method which are sought to
examine the current status, interior prospects and performance of MGNREGA
scheme in achiving the MDGS. The study
is mainly based on secondary data available in the Ministry of Rural Development
and www.mgnrega.in.website, by using simple percentage , standard deviation and
coefficiant variation .The objective of the study is (1) to analyze the quantum
of productive employment generated and their by its contribution towards
increasing the income and reducing the
poverty in India. (ii) to assess the Gender equality both in wages as well as
in provision of employment Women and gross root democracy in deciding the
nature of works to be taken under MGNREGA (iii) to analyze the durable assets
created for sustainable Environment of
the village economy.
MGNREGA and Eradication of
Poverty
The mandate of the act is providing one hundred days
of guaranteed employment to each household, wage as per minimum wages Act 1976.
The MGNREGA has provided employment to 29.95 crore households in the rural
areas and generated 1348.15 crore mandays of employment from its inception. So
for, 13.66 lakshs Households were provided 100 days of employment that helped
these families to come out of poverty. The following table shows the
achivements of MGNREGA from 2006-07 to 2012-13.
Performance of Mahatma Gandhi NREGA in Providing
Employment (2006-07 to 2012-13)
Item
|
Year 2006-07
(200 Dist.)
|
Year 2007-08
(330 Dist.)
|
Year 2008-09
(615 Dist.)
|
Year 2009-10
(619 Dist.)
|
Year 2010-11
(626 Dist.)
|
Year 2011-12
(626 Dist.)
|
Year 2012-13
(632 Dist.) UP to 31.12.12
|
Job card issued
|
3.78
|
6.48
|
10.01
|
11.25
|
11.98
|
12.39
|
12.54
|
Employment provided to households
(in crore)
|
2.10
|
3.39
|
4.51
|
5.26
|
5.49
|
5.04
|
4.16
|
Persondays (in crore)
|
|||||||
SC
|
22.95
(26%)
|
39.36
(27%)
|
63.36
(29%)
|
86.45
(30%)
|
78.76
(31%)
|
47.70
(22%)
|
31.42
(22%)
|
ST
|
32.98
(36%)
|
42.07
(29%)
|
55.02
(25%)
|
58.74
(21%)
|
53.62
(21%)
|
39.59
(18%)
|
22.14
(16%)
|
Others
|
34.56 [38%]
|
62.16 [43%]
|
97.95 [45%]
|
138.40 [49%]
|
124.78 [48%]
|
129.06 [60%]
|
87.10 [62%]
|
Total
|
90.5
|
143.59
|
216.32
|
283.59
|
257.15
|
216.34
|
140.66
|
Women
|
36.40
[40%]
|
61.15 [43%]
|
103.57 [48%]
|
136.40 [48%]
|
122.74 [48%]
|
103.81
[48%]
|
74.74 [53%]
|
Persondays per household
|
43
|
42
|
48
|
54
|
47
|
43
|
34
|
Source:www.nrega.nic.in
Gender Equality and Empowerment of
women
Women
Empowerment is not among the orginal intensions of the MGNREGA, and is not among its main
objectives. However, provisions like priority for women in the ratio of
one-third of total workers
(Schedule
II (6)); equal wages for men and women (Schedule II (34)); and crèches for the
children of women workers (Schedule II (28)) were made in the Act, with the
view of ensuring that rural women benefit from the scheme in a certain manner.
Provisions like work within a radius of five kilometers from the house, absence
of supervisor and contractor, and flexibility in terms of choosing period and
months of employment were not made exclusively for women, but have been
conducive for rural women.From the beginning onwards the participation of women
in the scheme is more than 30 percent, in 2006-07 it is 40% and raised to 43%
in 2007-08, 48% continuously for another four years and 53% during 2012-13.This
overwhelming participation of women happened only because of the equal wage.
The wage rate notified per year is increased from Rs.47 ( 2006-07 in
Maharashtra lowest) to Rs 100 (2011-12 in Maharashtra) and Rs.99 (in Haryana
2006-07 Highest) to Rs 173 (2011-12).This wage induced to raise in the
prevailing agricultural wages in the villages and sometimes it has helped to break
the monopololistic wage fixation to
women in the villages.
Percentage
of Participation in MGNREGA(2006-07 to 2012-13)
Year
|
Average Mandays provided per HH
|
Average wages paid per persondays
|
SC (% of mandays)
|
ST (% of mandays)
|
Others (% of mandays)
|
Total
|
Women (% of mandays)
|
2006-07
|
43
|
65
|
25
|
37
|
38
|
100
|
40
|
2007-08
|
42
|
75
|
28
|
29
|
43
|
100
|
43
|
2008-09
|
48
|
85
|
29
|
26
|
45
|
100
|
48
|
2009-10
|
54
|
90
|
30
|
21
|
49
|
100
|
48
|
2010-11
|
47
|
100
|
31
|
21
|
48
|
100
|
48
|
2011-12
|
43
|
115
|
22
|
18
|
60
|
100
|
48
|
2012-13
|
45*
|
130
|
22
|
16
|
62
|
100
|
54
|
Avrage
|
46
|
-----
|
27
|
24
|
49
|
------
|
47
|
Standard Diviation(S.D)**
|
3.85
|
-----
|
3.46
|
6.72
|
8.04
|
-----
|
4.10
|
Coefficient of Variation(C.V)
|
8.36
|
-----
|
12.81
|
28.0
|
16.0
|
-----
|
8.72
|
*Computed for 12 months, Source:www.nrega.nic.in
** Computed value by the Author.
The above table shows the coefficient variation on
SC, ST and others are much higher, it is much lesser (8.72) on women than
others elicit clearly that the scheme is more benefitable to women.
Green Jobs of MGNREGA
Greening rural development refers
to a variety of activities that regenerate and conserve the natural resource base,
innovate and use clean materials, technologies and processes to create
environment-friendly products, livelihoods, enterprises and jobs. Soil is a
primary resource for generation of most renewable natural raw materials for
production systems. Natural resources such as farmlands, pastures, forests and
water sources (surface and ground water) are subject to degradation and loss of
productivity. Satellite data showed that in 2005-2006 about 15 percent (47.22
mha) of India’s land mass were wasted or under-productive lands.37 Such
degradation is an important factor in the loss of livelihood assets and income
poverty in rural India. The MGNREG Act therefore proposes large investments in
works like soil and water conservation, land development and afforestation that
address the causes of chronic rural poverty. It also lays stress on creating
durable assets. These key elements of the Act -- productivity enhancement and
sustainability of the rural natural resource base - strengthen its potential
for green outcomes. In fact, since the initiation of MGNREGA more than 50
percent projects are related to water through implementation of water conservation
works, flood control, irrigation, droughtproofing, renovation of traditional
water bodies and micro-irrigation. A study of MGNREGA projects in Punjab,
Haryana and Himachal Pradesh reported that 62 percent of the sampled panchayats
in Sirsa district (Haryana) and 75 percent panchayats in Sirmour district
(H.P.) reported increase in crop productivities.There is also emerging evidence
that some MGNREGA projects can have global green impacts. Activities like soil
conservation, fodder development, afforestation and drought proofing works help
sequester carbon. It has been estimated that tree planting activities over an
area of 2,341 ha in Chitradurga district could lead to sequestration of 93 tons
of carbon per ha over a 30-year period.48 There are also several innovative
MNREGA projects going beyond the routine activities with significant green
results in the country.
Total works
taken up and completed under MGNREGA
(2006-07 to 2011-12)
Sl.No
|
Type of works
|
No of Works completed(2006-07 to
2011-12) in Lakh
|
On going works
|
% of total works taken up from(06
-07 to 11-12)
|
1
|
Water Conservation and Water harvestig
|
19.5
|
36.4
|
25
|
2
|
Flood control and production
|
3.9
|
5.9
|
4
|
3
|
Drought proofing,Tree plantation,afforestation
|
5.2
|
13.0
|
9
|
4
|
Irrigation canals(macro and micro-irrigation)
|
5.7
|
9.5
|
6
|
5
|
Renovation of traditional water bodies(desilting of tanks etc.)
|
6.6
|
9.8
|
7
|
6
|
Works on lands of SC/ST/BPL/SMF/IAY Beneficiaries
|
13.0
|
19.9
|
14
|
7
|
Land Development(contour bunds,Field bunds)
|
13.9
|
18.8
|
13
|
Total works on generate Green Jobs
|
67.8
|
113.3
|
79
|
|
8
|
Rural connectivity
|
16.0
|
28.3
|
19
|
9
|
Other works (Bharat Nirman kendras)
|
2.8
|
4.6
|
3
|
Total
|
86.6
|
146.3
|
100
|
The MGNREGA is the world largest ecological security
programme and ensurs the Millennium Development Goal of Environment
sustainability.From the above table it becomes clear that the maximum number of
works completed is the water conservation (19.5 Lakh) and works on lands Development(13.9 Lakh ).While
analysing the on going works 36.4 lakh works on water harvesting, 19.9
lakh works on lands on SC/ST/BPL
families. 79 percent of total taken up works were to create green jobs
to the rural poor.
Conclusion
MGNREGA is India’s policy and programme commitment
to achieve Millennium Development Goals and efforts are on towards total
eradication of poverty by 2015.Even though there are some problems, MGNREGA is
the most sucessful poverty eradication programme introduced in India.It
provides the money in the hands of poor, particularly women directly without
any middlemen, even their husbands were not have the rights to receive it.So
the visible and invisible effects of MGNREGA on women are high,it facilitated an
increase in the levels of savings of women.It alleviated their fear of hunger
and poverty, the majority of women workers are now actively participating in
the social activities.Their increased credit worthiness and social status
facilitated a change in their attitudes towards life,work, frienship,economic
independence and political leadership.The acute shortage of farm labourer can
be solved by introduction of wage subsidy.
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