S. Ramadorai

CHENNAI: In an effort to blend automation technology with rural development issues, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has drawn up a roadmap for implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme in 13 districts of Andhra Pradesh as a pilot project.

"Even when the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) was being promoted, we decided to do a pilot project in terms of building a fully automated system that would take care of everything from the issue of job cards to the distribution of payment to the beneficiaries. In all 13 districts, the project would be carried out using software developed by TCS and recommendations for extending the scheme to more districts will be submitted to the Central Government,'' TCS CEO S. Ramadorai told The Hindu here on Thursday.

The first of the programmes under the NREGA was inaugurated by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Anantapur district of Andhra Pradesh on Thursday. Under the Act, 100 days of work becomes a legal right for rural households, along with the right to demand employment, right to get unemployment allowance if work is not allotted within 15 days of demand, right to statutory wages and right to demand employment within 5 km of the applicant's residence.

Panchayati raj institutions will be in charge of planning and implementation of the scheme, which has been simultaneously launched in 80,000 gram panchayats in 200 districts under the first phase. In Tamil Nadu, the scheme has been launched in Dindigul, Nagapattinam, Sivaganga, South Arcot, Cuddalore, Tiruvannamalai and Villupuram districts.

Software applications would be used to plug the errors that could be caused by the manual system and would be based on the Maharashtra model that has been in practice since 1977, Mr. Ramadorai said.

Enhancing employability

Leakages that had sprung up in the system included inflated schemes, bogus registrations, fraudulent requisition of funds, inflated musters and fraudulent wage payment.

Automation possibilities would "minimise such leakages and maximise benefits, expedite payment and optimise accountability.''

Training and monitoring of the applications would be done by TCS personnel. The software would also enable creation of a database of jobseekers and schemes, print and process muster rolls and reconcile work with wages. This would ensure greater transparency of schemes approved as well as progress achieved, Mr. Ramadorai added.

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