Implementation of NREGA in Gujarat

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Implementation of NREGA in Gujarat
Commissionerate of Rural Development Gandhinagar
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What is NREGA

• NREGA is designed as a safety net to reduce
  migration by rural poor households in the lean
  period by providing hundred days of guaranteed
  unskilled manual labour when demanded on water
  conservation, land development drought proofing
  works.

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Key Processes of Implementation
Application for job card
Selection of works
Approval of shelf of projects
Verification
Issue of job card
Informing village PRI
Demand for employment
Acknowledgement of demand
Preparation of estimates And approvals
Work allocation
Maintenance of muster roll
Payment of wages
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Objectives of NREGA

• The basic objective of the Act is to enhance
  livelihood security in rural areas by
• Providing at least 100 days of guaranteed wage
  employment in a financial year to every BPL APL
  household whose adult members volunteer to do
  unskilled manual work
• This work guarantee can also serves other
  objectives like
• Generating productive assets,
• Protecting the environment, empowering rural
  women,
• Reducing rural urban migration and fostering
  social equity, among others.

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NREGA GOALS

• Strong social safety net for the vulnerable
  groups by providing a fall-back employment
  source, when other employment alternatives are
  scare or inadequate
• Growth engine for sustainable development of an
  agricultural economy
• Empowerment of Rural poor through the processes
  of a rights-based Law.

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SALIENT FEATURES OF THE ACT

• The Gram Panchayat after due verification will
  issue a Job Card.
• The Job Card should be issued within 15 days of
  application
• A Job Card holder may submit a written
  application for employment to the Gram Panchayat,
  
• Employment will be given within 15 days if it is
  not then daily unemployment allowance as per the
  Act
• Work should ordinarily be provided within 5 km
• Wages are to be paid according to the Minimum
  Wages Act 1948 for agricultural laborers
• Wages are to be paid according to piece rate or
  daily rate. wages should be paid through Bank /
  post
• Continue.

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continued..

• (8) At least one-third beneficiaries shall be
  women
• (9) Work site facilities such as crèche, drinking
  water, shade have to be provided
• (10) Shelf of projects for a village will be
  recommended by the gram sabha
• (11) At least 50 of works will be allotted to
  Gram Panchayats for execution
• (12) Permissible works predominantly include
  water and soil conservation, aforestation and
  land development works
• (13) A 6040 wage and material ration has to be
  maintained.
• (14) No contractors and machinery is allowed
• (15) Social Audit has to be done by the Gram
  Sabha

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STAKEHOLDERS

• Key Stakeholders are
• Wage seekers
• Gram Sabha
• PRIs, specially the gram panchayat
• Programme Officer at the block level
• District Programme Coordinator
• State Government
• Ministry of Rural Development

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• Responsibility of Gram Panchayat
• Planning of works
• Receiving applications for registration
• Verifying registration applications
• Registering households
• Issuing Job Cards
• Receiving applications for employment
• Issuing dated receipts
• Allocating employment within fifteen days of
  application
• Executing Works
• Maintaining records
• Convening the Gram Sabha for social audit
• Monitoring the implementation of the Scheme at
  the village level

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• Responsibility at Block Level
• Scrutinizing the annual development plan
  proposed by the GPs
• Including the proposals of the Intermediate
  Panchayat
• Matching employment opportunities with the demand
  for work
• Monitoring and supervising implementation
• Disposal of complaints
• Ensuring that social audits are conducted by the
  Gram Sabha
• Payment of unemployment allowance

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• Responsibility at District
• Information dissemination
• Training
• Consolidating block plans into district plan
• Ensuring administrative and technical approvals
  to the shelf of projects
• Release and utilization of funds
• Ensuring hundred percent monitoring of works,
  Muster Roll Verifications,
• Submission of Monthly Progress Reports.

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• Responsibility at State Level
• Wide communication of the Scheme
• Ensuring that full time dedicated personnel are
  in place for implementing NREGA at all levels
• Ensuring that the State share of the NREGS budget
  is released on time
• Training
• Establishing a network of professional agencies
  for technical support and for quality-control
  measures
• Regular review, monitoring and evaluation of
  NREGS Ensuring accountability and transparency in
  the Scheme at all levels

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PERMISSIBLE WORKS

• The Works permissible under NREG are
• Water conservation and water harvesting
• drought proofing, including afforestation and
  tree plantation
• irrigation canals, including micro and minor
  irrigation works
• provision of irrigation facility, plantation,
  horticulture, land development to land owned by
  households belonging to the SC/ST, or to land of
  the beneficiaries of land reforms, or to land of
  the beneficiaries under the Indira Awas
  Yojana/BPL families
• renovation of traditional water bodies, including
  de-silting of tanks
• land development
• flood-control and protection works, including
  drainage in waterlogged areas
• rural connectivity to provide all-weather access.
  The construction of roads may include culverts
  where necessary, and within the village area may
  be taken up along with drains. Care should be
  taken not to take up roads included in the PMGSY
  network under NREGA. No cement concrete roads
  should be taken up under NREGA. Priority should
  be given to roads that give access to SC/ST
  habitations
• any other work that may be notified by the
  Central Government in consultation with the State
  Government

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IMPLEMENTING AGENCIES

• The Gram Panchayat is the single most important
  agency for executing works
• The other Implementing Agencies are
• (1) Taluka Panchayat
• (2)District Panchayats
• (3) line departments of the Government
• (4) Public Sector Undertakings of the Central and
  State
• Governments
• (5)Cooperative Societies with a majority
  shareholding by the
• Central and State Governments
• (6) Self Help Groups

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Role of Line Departments

• The role of the Line Department is to give
• Technical support in the nature of estimates,
• Measurement and
• Supervision of the works.
• Muster Rolls to be maintained
• To execute the works on behalf of Gram Panchyats.
• No overhead charge will be given to any
  line department.

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Rajasthan Experience

• The Sarpanches,MLAs and the elected members take
  keen interest in the implementation of NREGS
• Besides Talaties, Gram Sewaks are also involved
  in the implementation of NREGS.
• Gram Rojgar Sewaks appointed are being paid 2500
  Rs per month.
• Proper allocation of job work that enables them
  to earn Rs 100 per day.
• System of deployment of Mates is very strong
  which enables proper attendance ,reporting and
  measurement at the worksite.

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Continued

• Effective review at Taluka and District level.
• Model estimates of works commonly taken up under
  NREGA by the line Deptt.
• 50 of works are being implemented by Different
  line Deptt of Government.
• Effective role of line Departments which includes
  proposing of works to Gram Panchyats and its
  execution.
• The use of Machinery to the extent of 40 is
  permissible and the estimates are made
  accordingly.
• The shortage of Engineers is taken care by
  recruiting surveyors.
• Collectors are overall in charge for implementing
  NREGS

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CONVERGENCE

• Convergence of the NREGA funds with funds from
  other sources for the creation of durable assets
  is permissible.
• Funds available with PRIs from other sources from
  central and State Governments funds can also be
  dovetailed with NREGA funds for the construction
  of durable community assets/works permissible
  under NREGA
• However, NREGA funds should not be used as a
  substitute for Departmental plan funds of
  different departments and agencies.

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Forest Department

• Permissible activities
• Village Forest
• Road side Plantation
• Pond side plantation
• Check dams
• Deepening of Ponds
• Roads in the forest area and villages
• Land development etc
• Drought Proofing
• Social Forestry
• Afforestation
• Compound wall for conservation and protection of
  wild life centuries.
• Land development of kotar land

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Cont..

• Procedure to be followed
• Suggest activity to the Grampanchyats
• Prepare plan estimates of the activities
• List out the names of possible wage earners of
  the village.
• Prospective wage earners without job cards to be
  provided job cards through Grampanchyats and this
  will be ensured by the Programme Officer
• Sufficient number of Job card formats are already
  placed in the custody of Gram Panchayat so that
  Job cards to all the BPL HHs will be provided.
• Where job cards are not immediately available
  the names of job seekers may be included in the
  Job Card issue register to provide him work
• Administrative approval to be sought from the
  Programme Office i.e. TDO and will be completed
  timely will be ensured by Programme Officer

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Cont..

• Panchyats will provide muster rolls and related
  registers
• To inform the progress of work the names of
  the persons engaged on the works to the Gram
  Panchayat alternatively the report may also be
  sent on line on NREGAsoft ,nrega.nic.in in the
  prescribed format given in the website.
• To measure the work undertaken on weekly basis
  so as to ensure that the payment is made within a
  week or not beyond fifteen days.
• Payments to be deposited in the Post Office
  /Bank account of the wage earners
• Opening of the accounts of the wage earners will
  be ensured by the Programme Officer.
• Advance funds for the planned works will be
  placed at the disposal of the implementing agency
  as per the plan and estimates of the works.
• Timely payments of wages will be ensured by the
  respective line departments. Help will be given
  by Taluka Panchyats

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Cont..

• Monthly progress reports be sent to the TDO on
  the last day of the month.
• The report may also be sent on line on NREGAsoft
  ,nrega.nic.in in the prescribed format given in
  the website.

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Road Building Department

• Permissible activities
• Village roads
• Internal roads with drainage.
• Roads leading to the fields
• Village to Village connecting roads
• Approach road to Villages
• Culverts on the roads
• Strengthening the sides of the existing roads
• No RCC roads
  permissible

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Procedure to be followed

• Same as suggested for the Forest Department

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Convergence with NREGA

• Road and Building Department Convergence with
• NREGA
• The estimates may be divided in to two parts
• (A) The work that can be taken under NREGA
• (B) The work of the road that is required
  to be taken up from the State Budget Funds

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Cont

• The labour intensive part of the road which
  requires earth works and metal spreading can be
  taken under NREGA
• The Bitumen spreading and rolling could be
  taken up under State Budget Funds

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Irrigation Department

• Permissible works
• Water conservation and water harvesting
• Irrigation cannels
• Micro and Minor irrigation works
• Renovation of traditional water bodies
• Desiliting of ponds Tanks
• Drainage in water logged areas
• Flood control and protection works.
• Check Dams

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Cont.

• Canal and creek deepening ,widening
• Irrigation filed channels
• Salinity ingress
• Works related to treatment of water logging
  conditions.
• Irrigation to the SC/ST/BPL families

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Procedure to be followed

• Same as suggested for the Forest Department

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Tribal Development Agriculture Deptt

• All Tribal agriculturists are entitled for
• Works related to land development.
• Works that provide irrigation including micro
  irrigation facility to tribal agriculturists.
• Horticulture projects.
• Works like cannel and channel digging.
• Providing pipelines to the field of
  agriculturists.
• Irrigation wells

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Works related to RKVY can be taken up under NREGA

• Development of Horticulture Farms
• Plantation of Date ,Palm ,Jetropha and Sandal
• Treatment of saline and water logged areas.
• Labour intensive and earth work related ,land
  development activities for quality seed
  protection.

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Cont..

• Earth work related activities where village is
  adopted.
• Eco friendly activities ,establishment of model
  nurseries
• Checking salinity in coastal areas
• Reclamation of saline and alkaline soils
• Rain fed area development
• Water shed development
• Land development of hilly areas

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Cont.

• 13 Reclimination of degraded Bhal areas
• 14. Development of infrastructure like ,road
  and
• rain water drainage.
• 15 Development of grass land.

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Training Capacity Building

• Staff of all implementing agencies shall be
  provided training at Taluka ,District
  SPIPA-SIRD.
• Details of the NREG Act and Operational
  guidelines is available on web site
  www.nrega.nic.in
• FAQs will be supplied as and when demanded.
• All expenses related to training and capacity
  building will be borne from the NREGS funds.

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Monitoring

• Weekly monitoring of the performance.
• Involvement of Panchyat Dept. for persuading the
  village functionaries and TDOs and DDOs to
  implement NREGA.
• More frequent holding of Gramsabhas.
• More frequent regional meetings.
• Filling of technical posts and giving targets to
  the technical staff to undertake works in their
  respective area of responsibility.
• Review and Monitoring of progress more
  aggressively
• A State cell shall be setup to monitor all the
  vital parameters of the programme to give fillip
  to the programme.
• The staff and implementing functionaries will be
  trained adequately to perform reasonably.
• TDOs workshops shall be arranged to train and
  motivate them.

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Special Initiatives taken at State level for
smooth implementation of NREGA

• Collectors of all the Districts have been
  requested to call regular meeting to review the
  progress of NREGA at the District Coordination
  Meeting .
• Special training programme were planned and
  organized in the State with the volunteer
  support of Civil Society Organization
• Line departments of Governments are repeatedly
  requested to draw their action plan for
  implementation of NREGA in their area of
  expertise.
• Revision process of NREGA SORs has been completed
  
• Districts were requested to start minimum one
  work per village in the State in special
  categories of work like Panchwati, Plantation and
  Desiliting of Check dams and Ponds through Gram
  Mitras

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Innovative Plans under NREGA

• New works like brick manufacturing soak pits
  under NREGA are proposed to GOI to be taken up
  under NREGA.
• Implementation of NREGA through Sakhi Mandal
• Inclusion of wage earners living on the periphery
  of urban areas under NREGA
• Voluntary support of Civil Society Organization
  for Capacity Building of Stakeholders.

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At least 1/3rd of the beneficiaries shall be
women who have registered and requested for work
under the Scheme (NREGA ACT, Schedule II, Section
6) Till March 2008
WOMEN 46.54
OTHERS 53.45
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Transparency

• Documents
• (1) Job Cards ( in the custody of workers)
• (2) Muster Rolls,
• (3) Measurement Books and
• (4) Asset Registers
• Processes
• (1) Acceptance of employment application,
• (2) Issue of dated receipts,
• (3) Time bound work allocation and wage payment,
• (4) Citizen Information Boards at worksites,
• (5) Vigilance Monitoring Committees,
• (6) Regular block, district and
• state level inspections
• (7) social audits
• (8) MIS.

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Issues of NREGA

• Lack of initiative on the part of Talati,
  Sarpanch and the TDOs
• Lack of awareness at the Taluka and Village level
  despite intensive IEC activities
• Failure on the part of District Administration to
  get the village plan implemented.
• Lack of desire among the people to undertake
  NREGA works.
• Non involvement of line Departments in
  implementation of NREGA
• Lack of technical support

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Proposed Plan of action to tackle the issues
under NREGA

• DDOs will be asked to invoke the Panchayat
  provisions against the Sarpanches lacking
  initiative to implement NREGA in their Villages
• Details of TDOs who have not taken initiative so
  far will be sent to Development Commissioner for
  initiating disciplinary action.
• The wage rates have been enhanced to compete
  with the market rates.
• The DDOs will be asked to hold Gramsabahs more
  frequently to bring about the awareness about
  NREGA amongst the people.
• The Districts will be directed to ensure that the
  village plan and the labour plan is implemented
  vigorously.
• To overcome the shortage of qualified Engineers
  ,services of ITI qualified surveyors will be
  taken to run the Scheme.

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Continued

• The staff at District /Taluka and Village level
  has been sanctioned it will be ensure that all
  the posts are filled up at the earliest.
• The BPL amongst the villagers and also members of
  the Sakhimandals will be persuaded to take
  advantage of the employment Scheme.
• If the BPL Families do not avail at least 50
  mandays in the year. They will be debarred from
  all BPL benefits in the next year
  
• Collectors to review NREGA programme in
  Coordination meetings.
• Intensive drive to issue Job cards to all BPL
  HHs by 15 Aug 08

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Thanks