Workshop on National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) - Opportunities & Challenges

A Media Briefing Workshop on National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) - Opportunities & Challenges for Southern Region Media Personnel was held in Hyderabad on Nov 16, 2006. A field visit is planned for Nov 17, 2006. The Workshop was organized by the Center for Science and Environment, New Delhi and Action Aid.

The main concerns expressed in the implementation of NREGA were:

• The fast economic growth of the country has not had an impact on the rural poor

• Rural unemployment is growing and is 74%; 35 lakh are getting added every year

• Agriculture production is constantly falling whereas the target is increasing

• Food grain stocks are much lower than planned, leading to imports. 

• 92% of employment generation is in the agriculture, forest, water sectors, whereas the organized sectors contribute hardly 8%

• Panchayati Raj Institutions are not effective.

• Enmass Migration of labor is taking place from rural areas which are rich in natural resources to construction activities in other states

• Creation of productive assets that can have long term sustainable livelihood opportunities, which inturn can create rural employment is not taking place

• Infrastructure loss due to negligence of tank irrigation is of the order of Rs. 15,000 crores

• Food for Work programme has cost the Government Rs. 6,000 crores, but with very little perceptible improvement

• Failure in dry land management is having a serious effect on the livelihood of rural poor

• Job Card Registration Applications are being rejected enmass without any valid reasons

• Caste differences is having a serious impact in benefiting the marginalized

• Unemployment Allowance is not being paid despite not granting work within 14 days; particularly during monsoon season, as the landlords are putting pressure on the Govts

• Issue of job cards take even upto 2 months; minors and bogus registrations observed during Social Audit

• In some places fees of Rs. 10 to 50 is being charged for issue of job cards

• Widows, disabled and senior citizens are being discouraged and refused job cards

• There is pressure from the rich and mighty to convert cultivable land into plantation land. This would have serious impace on the socio-economic livelihood of the rural poor

• Water conservation is not being given high priority in most states, except MP, AP and Jharkhand

• General lack of transparency and accountability in most of the NREGA works was observed

• There was general cry for the public to be educated by the Media and NGO on the use the Right to information Act 2005, to empower them to ensure the NREGA is truly benefiting the rural poor, in creating assets of long term value to the community for sustainable living.

Kris Dev NREGA & RTI Activist
Chennai, Tamil Nadu

B4, Ashok Suparna,
27/12, 3rd Main Road,
Kasturiba Nagar, Adyar,
Chennai-600020. (0) 98 408 52132