Eminent Citizens Write To Centre For Additional Budget allocation & Proactive implementation of NREGA

Several eminent persons have written to Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj, for urgent and immediate steps to enable NREGA in order to combat the economic crisis being perpetuated in the country in wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. Signed by individuals such as Harsh Mander, Yogendra Yadav, Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Jean Dreze and others, the letter evokes the issues surrounding mass unemployment stemming from the economic crisis due to the national lockdown and requests the Government to enable National Rural Employment Guarantee Act in a bid to fulfil the tremendous demand of the poor whose livelihoods are in question. "Due to an unprecedented unemployment crisis which is likely to last for several months, there is a tremendous demand for NREGA work across the country. The Government should respond to this demand urgently as the lives and livelihoods of millions are in question. Given the legal obligation and the infrastructure already in place, using NREGA creatively will go a long way to help the poor in this time of need". The letter, by emphasizing the emergency of the situation at hand, further provides the following temporary recommendations which can be employed by the Ministry for implementing NREGA for the next three months: "1. Additional Budget allocation & Proactive implementation of NREGA and giving work to all. The Government should immediately allocate additional resources and make provision for a total of at least Rs.1 lakh crore for at least the next three months. This will allow uninterrupted implementation till the time by which an accurate estimation of the upcoming demands can be mapped. Contradictory orders issued by the Government of India to start NREGA works, in the light of maintaining strict physical distancing has led to confusion amongst the front line functionaries. Consequently, implementation of NREGA has suffered. Implementing agencies must proactively open works in every village and give work to all those who turn up at the worksites. Demand should not be made a prerequisite for opening works. Demand registration can also be done at the worksite itself. This can be done using a paper-based system with a handwritten dated receipt. The details can be entered on the computer in the evening to ensure that there is no delay in registering work demand. As you would appreciate, the demand of work is a right for the worker. Funds may be released in advance to the Gram Panchayat to run works and Sarpanchs be given power to authorize opening of works. Simplify Procedures and Remove Difficulties All procedures for NREGA should be substantially simplified. Entitlements for NREGA should be made applicable for an individual and not for a household, and every individual must be provided work without any restriction. Anybody willing to work must be given work for the full year and not have 100 days in a year limitation. A large number of rural residents don't have a job card and getting new job cards might be time consuming. As such, any person wanting to do NREGA work must be allowed to work irrespective of whether they have a job card. Job card registration can be done at the worksite. Sanctioning of works and wage/material payments need to be simplified. Gram Panchayats should be able to sanction schemes on minimum documentation and payments should be routed via Gram Panchayats in order to ensure quick disbursals. All biometric based payment systems must be avoided. Urban Employment Guarantee Act While many returning migrants are from rural areas, there are significant returning migrants from small towns. Many such people have lost their livelihoods and are shaken. This can be fruitfully addressed to some extent by emulating the potential and the structures of NREGA towards an urban employment guarantee programme. Such a programme can be powerful in ecological restoration and moving towards a greener future in light of climate crisis too. Pay Full Minimum Wages The Government must ensure that NREGA workers receive the full minimum NREGA notified wage rate for the State within 7 days of completion of work instead of 15 days. The Schedule of Rates could be suitably modified to reduce work output required for earning the minimum wage rate by 50%, or piece-rate payment of wages should be suspended and wage payments on the basis of time rate be initiated. Self-certification of the extent of work completed must be made adequate to process wage payments, which can then be later...

Eminent Citizens Write To Centre For Additional Budget allocation & Proactive implementation of NREGA

Radhika Roy

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