India's rural employment scheme to be revamped

New Delhi: The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) will start paying cash directly to wage earners in some selected blocks, aiming to reduce delays in making payments. This was among the many reforms discussed at the National Workshop on Empowering lives through MGNREGA: Strengthening the Reform Agenda on Monday at India International Centre, New Delhi. 

Union Minister of Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh (center) addresses the workshop attended by participants from various fields/ Photo credit: Satish Nagaraji/ OWSA

The workshop on reform agenda also addressed key issues such as participatory rural planning, demand-driven legal entitlements through ICTs, full payment of wages, and reducing distress migration. Union Minister for Rural Development, Jairam Ramesh also stressed on creation of quality community assets.

The workshop was an effort to identify key recommendations from the public into MGNRGA’s reform agenda. A draft note on reforms in MGNREGA implementation had been published in the public domain for inputs and comments.

"NREGA has ushered in positive dimensions in rural economy but that has not been able to evolve into a fully rights based, demand driven programme yet," said Caitlin Wielsen, UNDP Country Director.

Jairam Ramesh raised concern over the acute decline of work demand in Naxal affected areas, attributed to delay in payments. Mobile banking system would be made functional to reduce such payment delays, he said. He also invited the inclusion of differently-abled persons in the scheme for maximum utilisation of their skills.

Brand Sushil

Jairam Ramesh declared Sushil Kumar, the winner of television contest Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who wants to be a Millionaire?) as the brand ambassador for the scheme. While felicitating him for his victory in KBC, the minister said, “I hope Sushil is able to reach many people at the grassroots and explain to them about the scheme and how it has empowered the poor.”

Sushil Kumar, the first person to win rupees 5 crores in the KBC contest is a computer operator for MNREGA in Motihari, his native town in Bihar.

“I am lucky that I work in MGNREGA because I have seen how it helps in transforming the lives of those who do not have basic amenities such as food, clothes and a house to live in. Bihar has seen rampant migrations in past but MGNREGA has helped in curbing it,” said Sushil.

While addressing the participants, B.K. Sinha, Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development claimed that the Act has helped the minimum daily wages to rise. “Many of the states revised the wages several times after the MGNREGA was introduced,” he said.

Caitlin Wielsen also praised the Act for its strong accountability model. “The various significance and potential of the act extends much beyond the guarantee of 100 days of wage employment,” she said.

The workshop was attended by representatives from the civil society, academia and government at different levels. Among others present were Nikil Dey of Mazdoor Kishan Shakti Sangthan, Rajiv Tikoo, Chief Executive Officer of OneWorld Foundation India, Prof.Jean Dreze of GB Pant Institute, Allahabad and Prof. Ashok Jhunjunwala of IIT Chennai.