Is NREGA actually worth it???

A few days back Indian Prime Minister Mr. Narendra Modi averred in parliament that he will never shut down MGNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Generation Act) because the NREGA scheme is in itself the best described address to Indian National Congress’s (INC) graveyard. Though a lot of people criticized and condemned Mr. Modi’s remark saying that this was indeed a derogatory remark against poor people in the nation but I believe that his remarks stand justified.

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (or, NREGA No 42) was later renamed as the "Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act" (or, MGNREGA), is an Indian labor law and social security measure that aims to guarantee the 'right to work'. It aims to ensure livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of wage employment in a financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work.

Starting from 200 districts on 2 February 2006, the NREGA covered all the districts of India from 1 April 2008. The statute is hailed by the government as "the largest and most ambitious social security and public works programme in the world". In its World Development Report 2014, the World Bank termed it a "stellar example of rural development".

The MGNREGA was initiated with the objective of "enhancing livelihood security in rural areas by providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment in a financial year, to every household whose adult members volunteer to do unskilled manual work". Another aim of MGNREGA is to create durable assets (such as roads, canals, ponds, wells). Employment is to be provided within 5 km of an applicant's residence, and minimum wages are to be paid. If work is not provided within 15 days of applying, applicants are entitled to an unemployment allowance. Thus, employment under MGNREGA is a legal entitlement.

NREGA scheme was actually started by UPA government headed by Indian National Congress and is counted among the biggest achievement of this coalition government. Even during the whole Lok Campaign of 2014, Congress had nothing to say in public except for their RTI (Right to Information) and NREGA.

Though most of the people around the nation continue to believe that NREGA is actually a successful scheme with innovative method to prove employment to people as it guarantees a 100 day employment to the unemployed people but still a fraction believes that this is nothing short of a disaster and hence should be discarded as soon as possible.

Though its true that NREGA has been able to give employment to people from rural areas but the latter people’s view can also not be quashed away as absurd.

First of all NREGA has been a disaster in its execution state. According to the scheme people who want to work but are not getting employed will be given a 100 day employment and on the basis of that wages would be given to them but actually at the grass root level village’s sarpanchs or the authorities take away all the money which was supposed to be given to the beneficiaries who have actually worked. This is in itself a big scam where village authorities exploit unlettered village men who were employed through the scheme and hence in also 95% cases the actual people to whom the money was meant to be given, never get the total sum of money which is their right.

The second biggest problem with NREGA is that it is a wicked policy of government. The scheme is a complete fiasco because it doesn’t contribute to any national progress. Even after 67 years of independence, people from rural areas are meant to dig up holes etc. under the scheme which doesn’t contribute in the nation building progress. NREGA was sought to be a measure to control poverty but the way the policy has been carved out completely fails on this aspect because through NREGA you are feeding people for 100 days for the work they carry out but nothing is done to “uplift” people from poverty. They continue to suffer and remain below the poverty line and at last the result is nothing. People are just given 100 days employment and after that whatever happens to them is of least concern to the government.

As NREGA contributes almost nothing to uplift people above poverty line, it really contributes nothing to extenuate problems being faced by poor people and therefore it is actually a botched up scheme.

We can’t say that NREGA has been a complete disaster because 100 days employment is a big deal for poor people (if they actually get their wages) but it would also be wrong to call it a great scheme as nothing has been incorporated in the scheme to make it contribute in national empowerment.

Now its one you whether you consider it great, mediocre or rubbish.

JAI HIND, JAI BHARAT

JAI MA BHARTI