Appraisal of NREGA in the States of Meghalaya and Sikkim

1. Appraisal of NREGA in the States of Meghalaya and Sikkim Dr. B.Panda Indian Institute of Management Shillong

2. MEGHALAYA East Khasi Hills -II South Garo Hills-I West Garo Hills -I Ri Bhoi -II East Garo Hills--III SIKKIM North District-I East District-II South Districts-II Districts selected & studied

3. METHODOLOGY • In the first stage, districts were purposively selected with reference to the guidelines given by MRD in consultation with the concerned officers of the states. • In the second stage, from each district, two(2) blocks were purposively selected on the basis of the twin criteria of progress and constraints. • In the third stage, from each block, four GPs were selected from each block and from each GP one village was selected. • In the fourth stage, from each selected village, one work was selected.

4. METHODOLOGY Contd… • The whole exercise was undertaken in such a manner that of the 4 selected works in total from a block, three(3) were ongoing and one(1) work was completed. • In the last stage, from each work, 10 workers were selected at random for administration of a structured questionnaire through personal interview. • For Meghlaya, as the Panchayat system is not there, the implementation of the scheme is done through the formation of the Meghalaya Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme(MREGS).

5. METHODOLOGY Contd… • The Area Employment Councils (AECs) formed under the provisions of MREGS are roughly the equivalents of the GPs and from each AEC one village and from each village one work was selected. • To make the appraisal process comprehensive, four(4) stake holders were identified. • Besides, the NREGA workers (stake holder I), the other stakeholders are : the Panchayat officials, village officials, VEC functionaries etc.(stake holder II), third party(stake holder III) and the officers and officials at the district, and block levels (stake holder-4)

6. Quantitative Questionnaire Survey for all the 4 stake holders. Statistical Analysis Qualitative Case Study Perceived observation Personal Interview and interaction Case and Situation analysis Tools and Techniques

7. Findings-Meghalaya Awareness • 40 % of the AEC and VEC members and 90% of the wage seekers are not aware of the key provisions and procedures of the Act. Demand Process • Registration was free and easy • Job cards were given within 15 days of registration • 78% got jobs within 15 days from the issue of job cards • No minor in job cards • All the job cards have photographs of the household members registered.

8. Findings-Meghalaya Contd.. Workprocess • The VECs are regularly convened to select works • 95 % of the local people happy with the choice of works • All the villages surveyed had only two approved shelf of projects ready to start. • In all cases permissible works have been taken up. • All the works taken up are usuful • However, in 50% of the cases, the quality of work do not look satisfactory.

9. Findings-Meghalaya Contd.. Execution • In all cases, the muster rolls are properly maintained. • There is no evidence of contractors and middle men. • In one site, there was an evidence of workers without job cards working • In 80% of the cases the measurement of work is not done on time and they are also not being technically supervised regularly. • In almost all cases, work site facilities are inadequate.

10. Findings-Meghalaya Contd.. Wage Payment • Avearge amount of wages paid per day per labourer is Rupess 70. • All the workers are able to earn the notified wages for agrl. Labouers. • Men and women are paid the same wage rate • 82% of the workers are paid their wages within 15 days. • In all cases, the muster roll is readout when wages are paid.

11. Findings-Meghalaya Contd.. Records Muster roll entries match with the job cards in all cases. Asset Register is not maintained Training and Staff • Gram Rozgar Sewak is available for each VEC • There is only one Technical assistant for the whole block.This leads to problems in supervision and measurement. • In all places, GRS, VEC and AEC members have all been trained.

12. Findings-Meghalaya Contd.. Monitoring • All the works have been inspected periodically by the block/district/state officials. • The VEC which acts as VMC also monitors and certifys works completed. Social Audit • Social Audit of 82 % works have been done by NGOs like BRO. Grievance Redressal • No complaint register is available at AEC or VEC Level

13. Positive Impact • Livelihood Diversification in Rural Areas (As told by all the workers and other stake holders) • Financial and social empowerment of women.(69% of women work in NREGA). Further, in Khasi traditional societal arrangement, there is no place for the women in the village Durbars. Now because of NREGA, they can have minimum of 30% representation in the VEC. • Reduction in distress migration including migration of women folks because of high rate of divorce(reduction of 73% of the labour migration to adjustant towns) • Ensuring of Environmental, Social and cultural sustainability.( Ex. works on terrace cultivation, creation of AEC and VEC and inclusion of women therein etc.)

14. Positive Impact Contd.. • Creation of social capital and reduction in moral hazard in rural society( When workers work in the field, they share their sufferings, experience etc. with each other that create the element of sharing, caring, togetherness and fellow feeling.) • Convergence. Provides and makes it imperative for line Departments like RD, Horticulture, Irrigation & Flood Control to work together to maximise the linkage effect.

15. Constraints • Flow of funds in not normal. It is skewed towards the first part and finishing two months of the FY. • Amount of 4% given as administrative cost is insufficient to employ technical people for measurement and supervision in the context of hilly and high cost economies like Meghalaya. • Absence technical staff hampers quality certification, measurement of work and undertaking of MIS. • Supervising officers like BDOs and Project Directors are overburdened with other works, thus, find it difficult to give time to NREGA. • The actual focus, provisions and objectives of NREGA have not been understood and internalised by the different stake holders of the programme.

16. Constraints Contd… • Lack of administrative and financial support to the different line officers of the block who have a positive role in the convergence of NREGA and efficient execution of work, affects their motivation.

17. SIKKIMSample Selection Methodology

18. Findings-Sikkim Awareness Most of the workers are aware of the provisions of the act but not aware of the comprehensive purpose of act. Every worker is aware of the fact that there is existence of ‘vigilance committee’, which mostly hears complaints (35%), shares the information (20%), and resolves conflicts (40%). Every worker is aware of the information regarding the budget sanction to the village. Workers are assured of no corruption in NREGA work so far. Demand Process Registration was free and easy Job cards were given within 15 days of registration

19. 85% of the respondents agreed to the fact that the job card is issued within 15 days of their application. However, 55% of the workers are specifying their required demand of employment, whereas 40% of the workers don’t specify. • Half of the population are having alternate arrangements for their daily income. NREGA supplements their income when they have nothing to do. • Gram panchayat does not guarantee the applicants regarding the fulfillment of their demand. This was verified when 80% of the respondents denied to a question that they don’t receive any receipt from gram-panchayat regarding their job demand. However, all of them get around 100 days of employment per year.

20. All the workers have to work 8 hrs per day. • It has been found that 35% of the respondents told that they have shades in the work place. However, 65% of the respondents opined that there is no availability of shade, first-aid kit, drinking water, and child care facility. • All the workers are getting employment opportunity within maximum 5 km from their village. • However, there is a clear division of opinions regarding the demand of unemployed people for NREGA work. 50% of the respondents agreed that all the unemployed people are asking for job card and they are getting it.

21. Findings-Sikkim Contd.. Work Process 95 % of the local people happy with the choice of works All the works taken up are useful Quality of work is good. There is no discrimination of wage rate among male and female workers. The number of male workers is less than number of female workers in NREGA works. Most of the NREGA work includes plantation, road connectivity, afforestation, and irrigation. All the payments are made through banks or post offices. 95% of the workers agreed that the banks and post office is present within 5 km from their village.

22. Findings-Sikkim Contd.. 65% of the people have joint account in bank or post offices with husband or wife as the co-signatory. Workers agreed that they have to wait for more than 15 days for getting the payment. 90% of the workers are happy with the bank process and procedures.

23. Findings-Sikkim Contd.. Execution In all cases, the muster rolls are properly maintained. There is no evidence of contractors and middle men. In most of the cases the measurement of work is not done on time and they are also not being technically supervised regularly. 100% of the workers are facing the problem of long delay in the payments. 60% of the people say that there is no indication of payment details in the muster roll.

24. Findings-Sikkim Contd.. Chain Effect 90% of the workers says that they share various information regarding their personal and social life among their fellow workers as they gather together at one place in NREGA work. 45% of the people agreed that they are able to purchase new assets for their home because of working in NREGA. All of them agreed that they are able to organize better in their life after getting employment in NREGA. All the women workers agreed that they share their health related information among their fellow workers and were able to derive better solution for that.

25. Findings-Sikkim Contd.. Socio-economic Profile 50% of the workers have no radio. 20% of the people have television in their home. 55% of the workers have mobile connection. Records Muster roll entries match with the job cards in all cases. Asset Register is maintained Training and Staff Gram Rozgar Sewak is available for each VEC

26. Case Study Summary Case of Duga Block Case of Khamdong Block

27. Best Practices • Development of minor irrigation channels for irrigation purposes in public area. • Rejuvenation of private orange orchards for enhanced productivity. • Land development for creation of public physical platform for multipurpose use like playground, public functions, market place, etc. • Land development through terracing. • Creation of new orange orchards by putting new orange plants in the old orchards. • Development of market place for a common platform for buying and selling of commodities.

28. Innovations • Fusion of employment generation and technical, social and financial empowerment of villagers. • Convergence among various line departments of administration for the purpose of socio-economic development. • Community feeling is created among the villagers as they work together for the direct benefit of their fellow villagers. • Indirect way of externalization of benefits through asset developments in the private properties. • Creation of social cohesion and social capital.

29. Innovations Contd… • Avoiding tragedy of commons dilemma. • Cultural, social and environmental sustainability. • Prevention of soil erosion and enhancing land stability through terracing which enhances environmental sustainability. • Creation of common market place which enhances the salability of commodities which reduces the middle-men interference and increases the profitability which in turn leads to financial sustainability. • The market place also attracts tourists which promotes tourism and revenue generation from tourism.

30. Constraints • Lack of administrative financial support to the different line officers of the block who have a positive role in the efficient execution of work, which sometimes affects their motivation. • Non-discrimination in the wage rate between men and women creates a negative feeling among men in related to the type of work where the work involves hard physical effort, which is mostly done by men.

31. Lack of technical expertise in the planning and executing the work sometimes reduces the technical quality of the work. • The supervision of NREGA works also found not well managed because of the lack of proper training of the supervisor. • The stakeholders are not aware of the full and comprehensive objective of NREGA, i.e. why-, what for- NREGA, which is needed to be understood by them for success of the scheme in long-term future.

32. Lack of synergy among various line departments of NREGA does not lead to the maximization of convergence impact.

33. Recommendations and Suggestions • Some amount of the expenses should be contributed from owner, in cases of NREGA work undertaken in private property.

34. However, ultimate long-term success of NREGA lies in creating the required economic, social, and environmental empowerment and social capital in the rural society so that it graduates from one stage of development to next higher stage [in line with Stage Theory of Development]. • Hence, each and every stakeholder of NREGA should be trained in this theory and be acquainted with its practice.

35. There should be proper planning at the block level with respect to NREGA works so that convergence among various line departments is achieved. • As it was observed that lack of administrative and financial support is the major constraint for motivation of line officers, there should be proper facility and incentive to be provided by the block-administration that will motivate the line officers towards achieving convergence.

36. The selection of workers can be made flexible, which can be decided in the gram-sabha/VEC, to ensure proper match between the type of work and assignment of work to male and female workers. • The GRS or work supervisors should be imparted basic technical training in addition to the work supervision training for ensuring the technical quality of the work supervised.

37. Out-of-Box Finding • Role of Leadership: The leadership quality of BDOs was the major factor for the successful implementation of NREGA work. Following are the major leadership characteristics found in the BDOs of studied blocks, which made all the difference to their work. • Punctuality Motivating PleasantPersonality Good Communication Skill and rapo-building Thinking out-of-the box Visionary Commitment Transparency

38. Some of the following working styles of the BDOs and related line officers observed during the study, are also responsible for the successful implementation of NREGA work, beyond just employment generation. • Identify themselves with the community. • Maintain good communication with external and internal stakeholders and also with the stakeholders of different administrative hierarchy. • Working with passion. • Building a team spirit among the various line officers and related implementing stakeholders. • We also observed the passion of all government officials in the above block hierarchy, in regard to the NREGA work and socio-economic development, which also adds to the success of NREGA work at the bottom level.

39. Future Strategy • Thinking, Planning ,Debating and concretizing on “NREGA-NEXT” so that rural development as practiced moves on to the next stage of development.