This is my second comment on the subject – earlier I suggested the National ID Card to complement the NREGS. Have read some other comments about the wastage, the leftists, blaming politicians etc..

The point that we must never forget is that thousands of people across the country are destitute and NREGS for them is like IV fluid to a patient – just look at the beggars at traffic junctions..

Economic growth has benefitted hundreds like me but the misery of unfortunate citizens is shameful.

This state cannot carry on otherwise we endanger our own well-being…

Production oriented view is one sided.

Atanu’s response: The problem is the “if” you have in your first sentence. If it does not achieve — and it will not achieve — its intended purpose, then we would have wasted a lot of resources which we cannot afford. It will leave us poorer and when that happens, the poor suffer more than the rich who wasted the resources in the first place.

I had read that in starting phase, the scheme will start in 200 district. I would like to know the names of these districts. Is there any NGO working in this field?
I would be grateful to you if you respond as early as

Looking forward for your responce

Thank You
Nagesh (nagesh@hbcse.tifr.res.in)

How about compelling the GoI to implement the NREGS in sync with the National ID Project, nicknamed NISHAN by the GoI? NISHAN is intended to be a citizen friendly initiative to introduce National ID cards utilizing biometrics…

The technology to stop the pilfering and corruption exists. Only thing that the GoI has to do is enable technology to be implemented by organizations who understand it – rather than continue with the GoI’ monopolistic stand on executing projects that (as you and everybody has pointed out) have failed and will continue to fail to deliver.

Rgds

V R Chopra

1.Set up a separate monitoring body for
the NREG. There should be a minister and a district level officer in charge.
2.Identify list of assets to be created. These will need to be identified at the village level and consolidated and aggregated at the national leve
3. Clear asset creation targets need to be identified
4. Monitoring mechanism to be established.
5. Loaning of resourses to other programs such as NHDP and Bharat Nirman to be enabled.
6.The process including target setting, monitoring and beneficiary database to be computerised

Sujay

[I think that Sukumar means "dollars" above instead of "rupees." -- Atanu]

I agree with you that, when money is simply doled out without “producing any stuff”, the intended benefits will not percolate down. As Rajiv Gandhi stated once, only 13 paise reached the ultimate beneficiary, for every rupee that the Govt. shelled out.

A better idea would be, as you have suggested, to invest in infrastructure. I know of a power company which put up a 18 MW plant based on biomass produced from juliflora, a plant which literally grows in the wild. The villagers were enthused that someone was willing to pay them a decent amount for collecting shrubs and twigs that were in abundance in that area. The power company could produce much-needed, eco-friendly, Co2-neutral power at a very low cost and supply it to the grid. As a logical extension of the idea, if the power could be consumed locally ( avoiding the T&D losses) and some food-processing or other rurally-relevant industry could flourish, you would have a winning formula of rural employment, power generation, rural industry and a genuine improvement in the lifestyle of the people, motivating them to stay put and avoid the migration to urban areas

These are the models which we must showcase and build on.

Its a very good analysis. The NREG bill is going to cost around Rs. 40,000 crore annually to the exchequer. The bill has been framed by a Belgian economist jean dreaze from the delhi school of economics and currently member of the National advisory council {NAC}. This council has been staffed with communist ngo’s and one can be sure that thier discredited ideas can only destitute the nation. These billions should have gone into building cities and infrastructure but thanks to the communists, its been siphoned off to waste and decay.

Can you claim Atanu, that you would find yourself an “honourable employment” with Government of India in New Delhi? If you put your knowledge to practise,the same people would resent their edifices crumbling down- the money that lines their pockets in the name of “pro poor” as you just decribed.

I am indeed turning cynical about these bunch of idiots who are ruling our destinies- hard earned monies down the drains. That has been the tragedy of this nation- none the wiser for the majority of the electorate that votes the same buggers with unfailing regularity in power every time.

The money spent on the NREGS has an opportunity cost. What is lost is the government’s ability to fund production enhancing projects.

And today there is talk about raising petrol prices even more to help fund this excresence.

Some other points here