The Hindu : Kerala News : Wayanad ahead in job scheme implementation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Oct 10, 2007
ePaper

Kerala

Kerala

Wayanad ahead in job scheme implementation

T. Ramavarman

NREG programme being implemented in Wayanad and Palakkad

Wayanad tops in terms of number of works taken up and completed
Palakkad first in terms of effectiveness of programme management

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Studies by the Centre for Rural Management (CRM), Kottayam, have found that Wayanad is ahead of Palakkad in implementing the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) programme.

The scheme, hailed as one of the most important welfare measures launched in independent India, is being implemented in the State in the two districts, and Wayanad has topped in its execution as per a ranking module developed by CRM Director Jos Chathukulam and senior fellow K. Gireesan.

The ranking has been done with the support of 44 indicators and as per the studies, Wayanad scored first in terms of 25 indicators while Palakkad was at the top in the remaining 19 indicators, Dr. Chathukulam told The Hindu here.

It is for the first time that an independent ranking has been done on the implementation of the NREG programme in the State, though as per the operational guidelines of the Union Ministry of Rural Development, annual ranking of districts in terms of their performance is mandatory. The Ministry has also stated that the ranking should be done or supervised by the State Employment Guarantee Council based on verifiable criteria and sample surveys by independent organisations.

Dr. Chathukulam said the ranking process adopted by the CRM sought to evaluate the qualitative and quantitative aspects of the implementation of the NREG programme as well as its impact. Emphasising that the indicators applied by the CRM should be viewed as ‘suggestive only and are neither exhaustive nor exclusive,’ he said that in the study only two indicators were used to rank the quantitative aspects, while 32 indicators were considered under the qualitative aspects and 10 to assess the impact of the scheme.

On the positive side, contractors were never found deployed for the execution of the NREG programme anywhere in the two districts. Similarly, the local bodies, and not private agencies, were responsible for the implementation in both the districts.

On the other side, the CRM studies found that there was no practice of preparing perspective plan and conducting social audit in either district. Unemployment allowance was also not distributed anywhere, though the Act governing the NREG stipulated that all the people should be given unemployment allowance if the authorities were unable to provide employment to them within 15 days of their registration. So all these factors were excluded from the ranking module, Dr. Chathukulam said.

Wayanad topped in terms of number of works taken up and completed as well as in the number of households which were provided employment.

The district also stood first in utilisation of funds and in expenditure on unskilled wages as well as in launching programmes for awareness creation and for generation of demand for jobs.

Wayanad scored higher ranks than Palakkad in indicators like registration, planning, job cards, framing of norms for application of work, and transparency in sanction and execution of works also.

Palakkad bagged the first rank in terms of efficiency and effectiveness of the NREG programme management at district, block and grama panchayat levels. The availability of technical and administrative staff as well as infrastructure facilities like computer, Internet access and office furniture for the execution of the NREG programme was also higher in Palakkad than in Wayanad, the CRM study found.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Kerala