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NREGS
ASTUDY OF SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD MODELS
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NREGS: A Study of Sustainable Livelihood Models
2
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
(NREGS) West Bengal
A Study of Sustainable Livelihood Models
Lead ResearchersKarthik Raghavan Niki Singh Saswata Das Shardul Bist Subhamoy Das
Unnati Gajjar Veena Singh Vibha Singh
Special Contributors
Development of Research and Communication Service Centre (DRCSC)
MICARVAAN: A Rural Immersion Program
Mudra Institute of Communications, Entrepreneurship Development Cell (MICA EDC)
Ahmedabad
September 2008
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Acknowledgement
The research on which this paper restscould not have been carried out without
the kind collaboration of Development
of Research and Communications Ser-
vice Centre (DRCSC). Many people
have contributed to this report, and at
the risk of leaving some people out, we
would like to thanks a few special ones.
Thanks Sujeeth Da, our key contacts in
West Bengal with whom we had severaldiscussions. The NREGS overview in
West Bengal provided by Raju Da was
quite beneficial. Thanks to Milan Da for
providing us constant encouragement,
motivation and full support.
We are grateful to Anshuman Da who
gave us this opportunity to take this un-
traditional project.
Thanks also to Nupur Da, Gulam Da
and Ram Da with whom we interacted
during our visit to different villages.
Last but not the least, thanks to repre-
sentatives of Gram Panchayat and all
the villagers who gave their full cooper-
ation while group discussions and per-
sonal interviews.
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TABLEOFCONTENTS
TableOfContents 4
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
ExecutiveSummary
5
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter1
UnderstandingNREGA 8What is NREGA? 8Salient Features of NREGA 9What do Critics Say? 11NREGA in West Bengal 12
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter2
NGOsinCollaboration:ABriefProfile 13Development Research Communication Service Centre (DRCSC) 13Swanirvar 14Suhriday 15
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter3
StudyofDRCSCModel 17
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter4
CaseStudies 22
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter5
FindingsandAnalysis 32Need for right Communication pathway 32
Right Human Resources required 34Redirection of Fund Flow 34Political Nuances 35Improper Planning 36Improper Execution 37Comparative Analysis 39
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Chapter6
Recommendations:APathAhead 41Community Model 41Proper Planning 42DalFormation 43
Generate Sustainable Assets 44Involvement of Other Agencies 45
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Exhibit 47
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Annexure 53
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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ExecutiveSummary
As per the Indian governments Census 2001, rural India constitutes 72.2% of Indian populationof which around 33% population is under the poverty line. If India has to realize its promised
growth and development, it is imperative that this multitude of people be able to earn their live-
lihood in a sustainable way. This is the very objective with which the National Rural Employ-
ment Guarantee Act was passed in the year 2005 with an objective of providing 100 days of
employment in way of manual labor which uses unskilled labor and with the help of that, create
sustainable community assets. But like many of the other acts before it, this one also raises many
questions over the execution of the scheme and loopholes in the act itself. The central govern-
ment defines Unskilled labor under this act as:
1. Water conversation & water harvesting (digging new ponds, percolation tanks, dams etc)2. Drought proofing (afforestation/ tree plantation)3. Micro irrigation works (minor irrigation canals etc)4. Provision of irrigation facility to land owned by SC/ST5. Renovation of traditional water bodies (de-silting of tanks/ponds, canals, wells etc)6. Land development (plantation, land leveling etc )7. Flood control & protection (Drainage in water logged areas, construction & repair of em-
bankment)
8. Rural connectivity (Specific work to be indicated separately)9. Any other activity approved by MoRDThis report focuses on the implementation of NREGS scheme in the state of West Bengal and at
the same time tries to find some other successful models which are being implemented by non
governmental organizations over the years. The aim of the report is to try to find alternate mod-
els that can be implemented through NREGS. A total geographical area of 24 villages across
three districts Purulia, Birbhum and North 24 Parganas were covered for the research.
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ResearchObjective
1. To study the existing problems among the functioning of the stakeholder groups ofNREGA active at village level so that new models of creating community assets can be
developed.
2. To analyze the effectiveness of the sustainable water harvesting models suggested andimplemented by DRCSC so that it can be proposed to Ministry of Rural Development
(MRD) to get befitted into the NREG scheme.
Keeping in mind the exploratory nature of the research and also the limitations of time and geo-
graphical area covered, it was decided that qualitative research would be the best approach in this
case. Case study approach and direct interaction with the stakeholder groups like the villagers,
officials, NGOs etc through group discussions and interviews were followed. The focus of theseinterviews was mainly on the issues of employment generation for the eligible job seekers and
sustainable asset development for community.
StakeholdersIdentified
Gram Panchayat & Gram Sabha
Community utilizing the community assets
Wage Seekers
Other NGOs and Implementing Agencies
GeographicalAreaCovered
Birbhum, Purulia and North 24 Parganas are 3 districts which were identified as the arena of re-
search. The reason to choose these 3 districts is their varied climatic conditions.
Birbhum: A District divided into sub-parts prone to either drought or flood
Purulia: A drought prone region.
North 24 Parganas: A region prone to floods.
All 3 districts present 3 different types of climate and vegetation which gave the scope of under-
standing the functioning of NREGS in different conditions.
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AreasCoveredintheResearch
The following were some areas which were addressed while conducting interviews and group
discussions. The roles and importance of each factor were researched at different levels with dif-
ferent stakeholders.
Role of Gram Panchayat
Role of other stakeholders operating at block, district, state and central level
Minimum wages paid
Right of Information Act
Budget/Funds
Unemployment allowance
Employment days
TheDeliverables
The research has been conducted with close support from DRCSC, an NGO which has been
working at the grass root level in the districts mentioned above & has successfully developed
eco-friendly, economically profitable and sustainable livelihood models as pilot projects in thesevillages. These projects took unskilled labors or more aptly put the poorer section of the hamlets
as their primary target audience. The whole plan was to develop the team spirit amongst small
groups of 10 odd families so that they own & execute projects in the vicinity of their villages &
thus develop the feeling ownership amongst these villagers. From DRCSCs end, these villagers
were provided with the primary monetary assistance, technical expertise & training required for
the execution of the projects.
This report focuses on these very models implemented by DRCSC and gives a detailed analysis
on how these models can be integrated with NREGS. It gives a comparative study of these mod-
els vis--vis the models implemented through NREGS. This report covers a lot of ground interms of uncovering the ground realities of the implementation of the NREGS and various intri-
cacies involved in it and gives recommendations which can be implemented in a centralized way
as well as measures that can be implemented at Panchayat level which address the problems un-
covered.
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Chapter 1
UNDERSTANDINGNREGAWhatisNREGA?
NREGA stands for National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2005) enacted on September
2005 & brought into force with effect from February 2006 in 200 most backward districts; cover-
ing all districts of the country within next five years. The objective of the act is enhancement of
livelihood security of rural household by providing at least one hundred days of guaranteed wage
employment in every financial year to every household whose adult members volunteer to do
unskilled manual work. Simply put, the primary objective of the act is enhancement of livelih-
ood security in rural areas by providing 100 days of un-
skilled manual work with the auxiliary objective being:
Generating productive assets
Protecting the environment
Empowering rural women
Reducing rural-urban migration
Fostering social equity
The NREGA marks a paradigm shift & stands out amongst
other rural employment programmes as it empowers the
rural population with a legal right & employment guaran-
tee through an act of parliament, unlike other wage employment programmes. The act targets
unskilled laborers in the rural sections of this country which includes landless labors, SCs/STs
& women. At this juncture, defining unskilled work is necessitated:
1. Water conversation & water harvesting (digging new ponds, percolation tanks, dams etc)2. Drought proofing (forestation/ tree plantation)3. Micro irrigation works (minor irrigation canals etc)4. Provision of irrigation facility to land owned by SC/ST5. Renovation of traditional water bodies (de-silting of tanks/ponds, canals, wells etc)6. Land development (plantation, land leveling etc )7. Flood control & protection (Drainage in water logged areas, construction & repair of em-
bankment)
8. Rural connectivity (Specific work to be indicated separately)9. Any other activity approved by MRD
The objective of the act is en-
hancement of livelihood security of
rural household by providing at
least one hundred days of guaran-
teed wage employment in every
financial year to every household
whose adult members volunteer to
do unskilled manual work.
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alientFeaturesofNREGA
Adult member of a rural household, willing to do unskilled labor, mayapply for registration in writing or orally to the local gram Panchayat,
for free
The gram Panchayat after due verification issues job cards, within 15
days of applicationA job card holder may submit a written application for employment to
the gram Panchayat stating the time & duration for which the work is
sought. Application of work should be for at least 14 days of conti-nuous work with not more than 6 days per week
Employment will be provided within 15 days of application, if it is not
then the applicant is liable to receive unemployment allowance as per
the actWages are to be paid in accordance to the Minimum Wages Act 1948
for agricultural work in the state, unless the central government notifiesa wage rate which wont be less than Rs. 60/- per day; wages being
equal for both men & women
Not more than 40% of the fund is allocated for the costs of material
components of the project (inclusive of the wages for the semi-skilled& skilled labor)
60% or more of the fund allotted is to be expensed towards wages of
the unskilled laborTotal finances is shared by the central & state government in 90-10 ra-
tio; the material cost divided in 75-25 ratioThe scheme shall not permit engaging any contractor for implementa-tion of the projects under it
As far as practicable, a task funded under this scheme shall be per-
formed using manual labor & not machines
As for as possible, employment shall be provided within a radius of 5km of the village where the applicant resides at the time of applying. In
case its beyond 5 km, it has to be within the block & the applicant has
to be paid 10% of the wage rate as additional allowancesA new work under the scheme shall be commenced only if:
o At least 50 laborers become available for such work; ando The laborers cannot be absorbed in the ongoing work
Work site facilities include crche, drinking water among others
Social audit to be done by the gram Sabha
Grievance redressal mechanisms have to be put in place for ensuring aresponsive implementation process
NREGA ranks amongst the
most powerful initiatives everundertaken for rural employ-
ment in India, so much so that,
the monetary valuation of theentire project was around 2%
of the national GDP in 2005. A
project of such magnitude de-
mands lots of nitty-grittys toensure smooth operations &benefits for the intended au-
dience, to put all of that in a
nutshell, here are a few impor-
tant features of the act.
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The above fig. explains the entire procedure of execution & implementation of the projects under NREGAthrough its bureaucratic journey. It originates at the office of Ministry of Rural Development & culminates
at the Gram Panchayat level further percolating down to the unskilled labors in terms of employment. The
numerous interventions slow down the entire procedure at the cost of multiple filtering which was in
tended to keep the system corruption free.
EXECUTION CYCLE
MoRD (Ministry of
Rural Develo ment
State Government
District Planning
Committee
SEGC (State Em
ployment Guarantee
Council)
District Panchayat
PO Intermediate Pan
chayat
Gram Panchayat Gram Sabha
NEGC (National Em
ployment Guarantee
Council)
Advisory, Monitoring
& Evaluation
Implementation
Planning, Supervis
ing & Monitoring
Policy Maker
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WhatdoCriticsSay?
The act in its entirety is beneficial to the rural poor who form a major chunk of the Indian popu-
lation & this cannot be denied. To quote Mr. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Rural Development Mi-
nister at National Consultation on NREGA held on 16th May, 2008 Wages for NREGA works
now go directly into 1.4 crores bank accounts, belonging to workers, to ensure transparency.
Also, implementation of NREGA has forced the government & private employers to provide
minimum wages to the poorest of poor employees, as the act
has increased the bargaining power of the poor at every stage
from demanding a job card to ensuring legitimate wages for
work. NREGA has immensely helped in controlling migra-
tion from villages to metros & other villages which is an
achievement in its own right. To put facts & figures straight,
NREGS created more than 90 crores man-days of employ-ment in 200 districts as against 83 crores man-days per year
together by SGRY & NFFWP in 586 districts during 2001-
061.
Having said all this, its important to understand that a similar
exercise in Maharashtra at a much smaller scale under the name Maharashtra Employment
Guarantee Scheme has become synonymous with leakage of public funds to the local bureau-
cracy & politicians over the period of 30 years of its existence. Such instances raise the appre-
hensions amongst the stake holders involved. Also, the fact that the cost involved is huge &
might not be affordable for the country in future, owing to sharp rise in interest rates & nationsfiscal deficit. At the execution level as well, the mechanism seems to be a bit skewed as its uni-
form throughout the nation, ignoring the regional diversity in terms of topography, culture etc.
Also, disinterest on state governments part adds to the ineffective execution of the project in the
first phase.
1 Data from Centre for Budget and Governance Accountability
NREGASuccessStory
Residents of Panihari village are a happy lot. They are celebrating freedom from floods for the
first time in living memory. Agricultural wages have increased across the district in the past one
year. They say their lives have improved because of the National Rural Employment Guarantee
Act (NREGA). Utilizing the employment opportunity that came their way through NREGA,
residents of Panihari in Sirsa finished constructing a 2-km embankment on the Ghaggar River in
February this year. (Source: http://nrega.nic.in/Reportfromfield/NREGA_harayana_success.pdf)
Also, the fact that the cost involved
is huge & might not be affordable
for the country in future, owing to
sharp rise in interest rates & na-
tions fiscal deficit.
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NREGAinWestBengal
The table gives the state report submitted byNREGA for West Bengal. The report reduces
the entire exercise into a mathematical jargon,
however on a closer look the picture seems to bein a withered state. The primary objective of the
act is creation of sustainable assets for the
community by creating 100 man-days of un-skilled work for the poor. However, the first part
seems to get amiss, as PRIs concentrate on the
employment generation, which essentiallydoesnt differentiate the act from its counter-
parts. Also, decisions taken at the Central Gov-
ernment doesnt seem to hold good at the grass
root level owing to diverse changes like topo-graphy, climate, people etc. hence execution at
the PRI level is important.
Many such issues are called for when it comes
to this state & we happen to look into this win-
dow with our limitations in the report that fol-lows.
SomeNumberCrunching
Employment provided to
households:
18.95136 Lakhs
Person days [in Lakh]:
Total: 365.82
SCs: 111.89 [30.59%]
STs: 120.61 [32.97%]
Women: 50.18 [13.72%]
Others: 133.31 [36.44%]
Total fund: 789.57 Crore.
Expenditure: 307.14 Crore.
Total works taken
up:51333
Works completed: 19593
Works in progress: 31740
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Chapter 2
NGOS
IN
COLLABORATION:
A
BRIEF
PROFILE
Development Research Communication Service Centre
(DRCSC)
DRCSC is a non-government development organization which operates in 12
districts of West Bengal and other states. They primarily work in the purview of food and live-
lihood security of the rural poor through sustainable management of natural resources on the ba-
sis of principles and actions, that are environment friendly, economically appropriate, socially
just and developed by mutual cooperation.
Background
Development Research Communication and Services Centre (DRCSC) was formed in 1982 as a
resource centre for collection, collation and dissemination of information on various socio-
economic issues and to highlight the struggles of various NGOs, CBOs and individuals to ensure
social justice; especially for informal sector workers, indigenous communities and small and
marginal farmers/landless labourers as well as self employed artisans. Along with that, since
1992, the centre focused on Sustainable Agriculture and Natural Resource Management for im-
proving food and livelihood security of the rural poor. The resource centre started to expand its
services through a Network of local NGOs and Development Cooperation Groups.
AreasofInvolvement
Enhancing production of food, fodder, fuel etc. through training, demonstrations and col-
laborative field trials on sustainable utilization of natural resources.
Establishing market linkages through consumer awareness for the organic growers.
Assisting rural communities to conserve and regenerate common properly resources like
grazing lands, ponds and wetlands, roadside and canal bank/riverbank areas, permanent
fallows etc. through group based management
Enabling school teachers and educational workers to promote environmental awarenessand activity based participatory learning among children and adolescents and to take
up agro based enterprises.
Arranging and supporting documentation of overall developmental issues, indigenous
technologies and knowledge especially in the areas of food production and processing,
seed selection and storage, nutrition and health care, water harvesting and storage etc
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Assisting and capacitating small organizations to develop and maintain libraries, docu-
mentation centres, seed centres and nurseries, revolving funds, grain banks, bio-labs, pub-
lication design and production units etc. and also to develop food security and environ-
mental protection related projects
Methodsofoperation
Enhancing production of food, fodder, fuel etc. through training, demonstrations and col-
laborative field trials on sustainable utilization of natural resources.
To form a network or establish a strong linkages between formal and non-formal organi-
sations and also with organisations beyond the immediate purview of our activities so
that the effect of their development work, programmes and initiatives may be far-
reaching and sustainable.
To influence people in the corridors of power for formulation of policies in favour of the
people especially the poor and the marginalised with special emphasis on women and
children.
To work for the awareness about the effect of macro issues at the grassroot level.
Swanirvar
Swanirvarstarted work in 5 villages in the North 24 Parganas district near Calcutta in December
1989. Dr Sujit Sinha started Swanirvarwith the idea of developing the rural area holistically with
the help of local people. Their primary focus is on improving the quality of education and health,developing appropriate rural technologies, implementing income generation and savings activi-
ties and pursuing sustainable agriculture methods. It has always been guided by the philosophy
that while development is primarily concerned with people, it must involve the indigenous
people of that region. Towards that goal, it started with developing the following broad areas:
Education and Health
Organization, Leadership, and Planning
Appropriate Rural Technology
Savings and Income Generation
Agriculture
Over the years, its work has spread to 58 villages in 4 blocks (Baduria, Deganga, Swarupnagar,
and Basirhat 1) of North 24 Parganas district, and in additional districts of West Bengal. It was
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recently nominated to be the District Technical Agency (DTA) to help the government deliver its
large scale poverty alleviation program.
Areasofactivity
Pre-primary Education 14 centres with 900 children
Primary Education 4 schools with 520 students
Youth and Culture in 8 villages, with 600 children between 10 and 18 years of age.
Collaborations with Government Education System: In 150 primary and SSK schools, 17
secondary schools, 20 ICDS centres, Basirhat College.
Arsenic mitigation in drinking water in 90 villages.
Sustainable agriculture 115 villages in 7 Blocks with around 10,000 farmers.
Micro-finance in 69 villages, through 7000 women in 620 self-help groups.
Health (Till 2000) -- mother and child care in 11 villages; regular blood donation camps,
some cataract operation camps.
Gram Panchayat creating participatory structures and planning systems in four GPs; in-
tensive experiment in one GP in 2002.
Flood Relief in 2000-2001. Community-based Disaster Preparedness in one gram Pan-
chayat in 2001
Shikshamitra: An experimental secondary school and an Education Resource Centrestarted in 2005 in Kolkata.
Suhriday
Mr. Abdul Rahim Mullick one of the chief founders of the NGO runs the organization with a
handful of young enthusiasts who do honorary work.The NGO does a lot of work at the grass
root levels imparting knowledge and training to the local farmers and working towards develop-
ing sustainable livelihood models.
That this NGOs efforts are bearing fruits was evident to us when we met a farmer namedAzizur
Rehman Gazi whom we found to be very enlightened. We were so impressed after speaking to
him that we almost named him the enlightened farmer. He had attended the Krishi Pathshala, a
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unique initiative of Suhriday. At these Krishi Pathshalas the farmers receive training on various
methods and techniques to improve their agricultural productivity in spite of the adverse weather
and topographical conditions. Several farmers attend the same and many have really benefitedfrom this training camp.
What really impressed us over and above the functional train-
ing that these farmers have received is the noticeable change
in the mindset of these people. When we spoke to our enligh-
tened farmer we could see a vision in his eyes. The fact that
he had been benefited from the efforts of the NGO was very
clear. But the enthusiasm in him in spreading the knowledge
to his fellow farmers so that everyone could reap the same
benefits was commendable. The very change in his mindset-coming out of the traditional forms of farming to accepting
new techniques, taking the risk and experimenting was in-
spiring. We believe if we can create at least one such enligh-
tened farmer in each and every village in India, who in turn
will themselves spread the knowledge, it will change the face
of our villages.
Now that is something which will go a long way in improving the state of affairs. Full credit to
Suhriday for has been able to do that. Its a big achievement we might admit. Hats off to them!
We would sincerely request the donor community to look at NGOs like Suhriday, who may not
be well known, due to lack of funds to adequately promote them, but are actually working hard
at the grass root levels.
At these Krishi Pathshalas
the farmers receive train-
ing on various methods
and techniques to im-
prove their agriculturalproductivity in spite of
the adverse weather and
topographical conditions.
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Chapter 3
STUDYOFDRCSCMODEL
Village:Khoskadam
Pur
District:Birbhum
State:WestBengal
FOODFOREST
A group of 18 villagers together leased an existing pond
owned by a private party and the surrounding lands owned by
the village Panchayat for a period of twenty years. This was
done with an agreement that the profit would be shared be-
tween the group members and the Panchayat in a ratio of
75:25.
The pond is used as the main source of irrigation for the land
thus leased and this land is used to grow several fruits, vege-tables and crops like pomegranate, blackberries, brinjal, la-
dys finger etc. The pond is used further for fisheries and
growing ducks. The fish and duck excreta present in the pond
also work as a source of organic manure (Refer to Exhibit 4,
Fig. 1). The group members do not invest any thing in the be-
ginning, all the financial help comes through DRSC. Howev-
er, the members will pay back half the amount of the loan
from the profits earned from the whole project. The funds
from DRCSC are arranged from various government and non
governmental organizations. This food forest serves as a
community asset serving all the villagers who have worked in
the food forest development.
Food forest consisting of a variety plants growing together
adds to soil fertility. The pond around which this food forest
is developed aids the irrigation of these plants and trees.
DRCSC keeps constant check on the maintenance of the food
forest.
COST
Man days
Generated
Labor
Rate
Labor
Cost
Material
Cost
Total
Cost
2856 70 1,99,20 35,000 2,34,500
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Village:Salya
District: Purulia
State: West Bengal
vz
STEPPOND
Ponds in villages are used as primary source of water. How-
ever, apart from water utilization for day to day householdand sanitation purposes these ponds also serve as home for
ducks and fishes. DRCSC has helped dig many ponds in these
West Bengal villages however simple ponds fail to remain
sustainable in various villages where the climatic conditions
are not conducive. Keeping in mind the climatic conditions
and the topographic characteristics of the various villages a
step pond model has been designed. This model is designed
primarily for the dry areas and where the land is stony owing
to heat. The step pond model suggests that a simple pond hav-
ing a single surface should rather be formed in the form of a
step wise walls and the pond will have many subsequent sur-
faces cut one after another (Refer to Exhibit 4, Fig. 2).
The idea behind developing such a model is that the water in
the pond in dry and scorching areas is very prone to evapora-
tion due to immense heat. If the wall of the pond would be in
a stepwise form the water will evaporate at the upper most
level which is on the ground level and subsequently the lower
level water would get affected. Thus, even if water gets dried
on the surface at the lower level water will be available for
consumption.
COST
Man
Days
Labor
Rate
Labor
Cost
Material
Cost
Total
Cost
1950 68 132600 NIL 132600
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Village:Sonathali
District:Purulia
State:WestBengal
SOCIALFORESTRY
Social forestry is a model in the villages where the fundamen-
tal idea is to plant a variety of trees to foster soil conservation
and increase soil fertility. The plantation done by NREGA is
primarily based on the plantation of Eucalyptus and Acacia
trees. A large number of families from the village are in-
volved in this model and these trees are used only for fuel and
are used only for their wood once they grow. The officials
who are in charge of this tree plantation tend to allow them to
grow and then cut them before their tenure in the particular
area gets over. The reason behind this is that they want to
make the most of it before they are transferred. The woodfrom these trees are sold and utilized primarily as fuel. At the
same time these trees also have medicinal value which is un-
tapped.
DRCSCs model as a corresponding model to the NREGA
suggests plantation of a variety of plants and trees in between
the acacia and eucalyptus plants so that the fertility of the soil
remains intact. A new form of dam structure is built in the
fields amongst the trees with the reason of soil conservation.
Semi-circular dams are built with a view to conserve soil (Re-fer to Exhibit 4, Fig. 3).
Rearing of silkworms on mulberry trees is another aspect of
the social forestry model. These silkworms when grow in the
mulberry fruits, are used to derive silk. Silk is derived in very
select month of the year and is a major revenue source for the
villagers who are involved.
COST
Man DaysGenerated
LaborRate
LaborCost
MaterialCost
TotalCost
Well Dig-
ging, Ma-
chinery,
1073 68 72964 289001 365715
Well Pav-
ing
50 75 3750 NIL 3750
Mixed
Cropping
750 75 56250 1800 74250
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Village:Bolpur
District: Birbhum
State: West Bengal
NURSERY
This model works on the idea that lot of land is not used pro-
ductively, especially the land which lies next to the roads in
the villages. On both roadsides a number of plants and trees
are grown for various purposes. These plants are guarded
from the top by a roof like structure and also are given a cer-
tain boundary. Thus, the land which was lying waste though
near by to the village was made useful by the villagers. This
creates employment as well as the returns in terms of fruits
and vegetables.
COST
Man Days
Generated
Labor
Rate
Labor
Cost
Material
Cost
Total
Cost
Nursery 40 60 2400 1200 3600
Plantation 80 60 4800 NIL 4800
2year
Protection
730 60 43800 NIL 43800
Total 850 51000 1200 53200
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Village:Chatanigora
District:Purulia
State:West
Bengal
District: Birbhum
State: West Bengal
SERI CULTURE
Seri-culture is a new approach of social forestry. Till now theonly model welcomed in the social forestry was Acacia and
Eucalyptus plantation due to easy returns and low mainten-
ance of it. However, Seri-culture has received higher accep-
tance when it comes to maintaining soil fertility and long term
benefits.
Seri-culture is practiced in the regions where the Sudhoarjun
trees (Desi trees) are planted. Silk worm rearing is done on
these trees to develop a typical ecological system. The silk
worms reside on these trees and feed on the leaves of thetrees. The silk excreta make the land around the tree fertile,
which always other grass to grow around these trees unlike
the case in Eucalyptus plantation. This grass is used as fuel
for cooking purposes. The silk worms produce silk twice a
year, which is later sold for commercial purposes. The wood
of these trees is also used for fuel purposes and furniture. The
tree branches are cut once in a year for fuel requirements of
the community. Mulberry trees are also grown for silkwormrearing. In fact, the silk from Mulberry trees are of better
quality, which is more profitable in terms of commercial val-
ue of silk. There is no live example of this kind of plantation
in the villages yet. DRCSC is planning a mixed plantation of
few mulberry trees surrounded by the Sudhoarjun trees in the
village Chatanigora, in the district of Purulia.
The normal practice of Seri-culture is observed as the land
rejuvenation after the eucalyptus plantation; as such farming
restores the fertility of the land. However, the acceptance of
Seri-culture has increased and villagers are adopting this
model in various innovative forms. As compared to social fo-
restry, it not just provides earnings from wood but also from
silk. Moreover, the land fertility is also maintained by thegrass growing beside thetrees. Also, the insect excreta act asorganic manure to the land. However this kind of plantation is
that it demands lots of patience and maintenance.
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Chapter 4
CASESTUDIES
Madhab Da, a landless labourer lives with his family in
Khaskadam Pur in Birbhum district. Like most of the people in
his village, life was not easy for him. As Ghulam Mustafa,
project leader with DRCSC, stated philosophically, a poor
mans income depends on a number of activities he does as
they do not have a single reliable source. Being landless was
no less than a curse to these families. NREGA projects got
them some money occasionally. Madhab Da usually went to
Sitapur or Gopta for work and worked as a labourer, building
roads, digging ponds and planting trees, a highly unpredictable
source of income. One fine day Ghulam Mustafa, who shared
good relations with the villagers called a meeting. He said he
would help them develop a social forest. Madhab Da, like the
others was unclear about the benefits of it and Ghulam Da ex-
plained to them in detail. Madhab Da along with 39 other
members formed a Dal. It is called the Pallimangal Dal. A certain area of waste land around a
pond was identified and was given to them by the Panchayat. Madhab Da and his friends started
by building a temporary bamboo shed near the pond. The Foodforest was developed by planting trees of various types along
with climbers and root plants.
However, the Dal was facing some internal problems of its
own. By now one of the members had quit the Dal. Further
talks with the Panchayat led to the Dal getting the permission
of utilizing the pond too. Work on the pond Kamarpukurwas
begun in 2004. DRCSC contributed Rs. 10,000 for the pond
and Rs.22, 000 for the food forest. The fishes in the first year
were just enough for their consumption. Gradually the Dalstarted selling fish in the local market and even though it added
very little to their income, it was a welcome addition neverthe-
less. At present theDal consists of only 18 members after one
member dropped out of theDal 2 years back.
Being landless was no less
than a curse to these fami-
lies. NREGA projects got
them some money occa-
sionally. Madhab Da
usually went to Sitapur or
Gopta for work and
worked as a laborer, build-
ing roads, digging pondsand planting trees, a high-
ly unpredictable source of
income.
MADHABDA
FOOD
FOREST
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Today, life for Madhab Da and many others has changed phe-
nomenally. The food forest provides them not only food but also
fodder for their cattle and fuel wood. The Dal has also startedbreeding ducks which became a further source of income. The
eggs laid by these ducks are sent to the market to be sold after
the personal consumption needs of these 18 families, which are
dependent on the lake, are met. The Dal guards the pond on a
shift- wise basis, generally 2 members during the day and 4 at
night.
The income generated is also used for philanthropic causes,
which is at times contributed to the needy during someones
marriage, death of a landless labour, accident, house buildingetc. Madhab Da believes that in this way they do whatever little
they can to help the other which was otherwise not possible ear-
lier.
Madhab Da says only a handful of the villagers are getting
deriving some considerable benefit from this project. He
lives in a village of 450 families, most of them landless.
More of such innovative ideas and self- help groups
(SHGs) are required to motivate the landless labourers to
build a sustainable livelihood for themselves and theircommunity as a whole. He adds that earlier he was a labor-
er working for others but today he has a permanent source
of income. He is no more dependent on others for his live-
lihood. It has been only four years since he became a part
of the Food Forest but he says he can see the days ahead in
the future when all the trees will cover the area with green-
ery and their hard work and dedication will reap benefits.
Apart from the monetary benefits he also believes that the
community feeling has only become stronger by the day.
He also occasionally takes out time to indulge in Baul
Sangeet, an interest which had almost died. He sang a few
folk songs for us which described how culturally rich the
district is.
He is no more dependent
on others for his livelih-
ood. It has been only four
years since he became a
part of the Food Forest
but he says he can see the
days ahead in the future
when all the trees will
cover the area with
greenery and their hardwork and dedication will
reap benefits.
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In Chatra Panchayat of North 24 Parganas lies the villageGhoshpur which looks almost the same like any other village in
this area. However, it is not entirely the same anymore. The lives
of people here have changed. Until a few years back the villagers
faced the same problem as that of the others. This was water log-
ging, aggravated by the fact that there is very small area of land
per family. Adding to their plight, this area of North 24 Parganas
is known for its ability to grow only one crop a year. Farming
was not at all a dependable source of income. Women in this vil-
lage sew football jerseys to add to the family income. There was
no sustainable livelihood system in place in the village.
Ram Da, a DRCSC leader talked to the women of
the village and told them about the importance of a
Samiti, urging them to form a Mahila Samiti for
their convenience. This was in the year 2004 when
only 10 to 12 women came forward and took the
initiative. Soon the Jamuna Mahila Samiti was
formed with 16 members. Land was located and
training was given to theMahila Samiti members on
how to utilize the entire land and also how to shift
from fertilizers to natural compost. The initial mon-
etary support was provided to them by DRCSC.
Ram Da supplied seeds to the Samiti for the purpose
of planting, and the bed concept of farming was ap-
plied here where the water flow is directed in a cer-
tain manner which does not flood the farm. Along
with this, land shaping was also done on the land.
The Samiti members were encouraged to plant cree-
pers which would be high above the water level in
the rainy seasons.
EMPOWEREDWOMEN
This area of North 24
Parganas is known for its
ability to grow only one
crop a year. Farming was
not at all a dependable
source of income. Wom-
en in this village sew
football jerseys to add to
the family income.
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The Samiti members say that after the formation of the group,
hardly any land goes waste. It is used for various kinds of
plantation depending on the favourable conditions prevailing
in the area under cultivation. The slow shift to organic farm-
ing has also brought them a lot of benefits. Organically grown
vegetables fetch them a higher price as compared to other
vegetables, even in the local market. This proves that there is
a huge market which can be tapped into, for organic vegeta-
bles.
The Service centre organizes various camps and training ses-
sions such as the Awareness Camp, Introductory Training,
Food Processing Training, Duck and Fish keeping Training.
These are held in the village and the ARTC.
Apart from farming, the Samiti was also aided by the Service Centre in the form of a loan for the
spices business. Initially the function was limited only to packaging. A camp on Adulterated
Food brought about a sea change. The Samiti called for a meeting right after the camp and rea-
lized that the masalas available in the market consisted of harmful chemicals. They decided to
expand their spices' business. From merely packing, they moved on to buying raw materials,
processing it and then selling it in the market. They used the spices first for personal consump-
tion in the group, followed by distributing among friends and then, on approval, selling it in the
market. The Samiti has already started supplying it to hotels.
Life for them has definitely become better in terms of more income coming in the family as a
result of implementation of certain measures. Organically grown vegetables not only fetch them
higher prices but have also resulted in lowering the incidence of disease. The feeling of commu-
nity building is high among the members, with Sanchay andDhan Gola being formed in order to
provide loan for plantation, weddings, education and other purposes. This has rescued the vul-
nerable villagers from the clutches of money lenders who charged unrealistic rates of interest on
the money lent.
The village has seen quiet a few changes, with kutcha house being plastered and an increase inthe number of kids going to school. This is a result of the community work and sustainable live-
lihood measures taken. The whole village, and not only the Mahila Samiti Members, now serves
as a role model to its neighboring villages.
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Watery woes: Radhika Murmu lives in Salia village in Puruliadistrict. Her husband, being a carpenter, used to go as far as the
villages of Kashipur and Adra in search of work, both of which
are about 2 hours away from their village. There was no perma-
nent and reliable source of income for Radhikas family. She
depends on farming for her livelihood, which, in turn, requires
water for sustenance. Since water is scarce in this village, so the
only crop that used to grow here was dhaan and she, along with
the other farmers in her village, was dependent on the rainy
son for irrigation. The cattle had to be grazed over large
tances in search of water and grass. Though there are a number
of ponds in the village, however, they are not favourable for
fishing due to two main reasons:
- The water in these ponds decreases by March; and
- Since the land is quite stony, it does not provide feed (leaves,
shrubs) for the fishes.
A fruitful suggestion: To bring relief to the distraught
people, the Service Centre advised them to form aDal. As
many as 26 people came forward to form the Sudya Sidu-
kanu Muluchandu Chasi Dal in 2002, which now con-
sists of 24 members. TheDal took up the work of renovat-
ing the existing village ponds. Currently, there are four
ponds in the village, irrigating an aggregate area of about
50 bighas. One of these four ponds was selected in 2005
and was renovated to build a 5-step pond, which helped to
attain maximum capacity utilization of the water body.
This pond covers an area of 8 bighas. A total of 50 to 60
types of plants grow around the pond and they are plantedtwice a year, a feat which was unimaginable until a few
years ago.Radhika says that now she is able to sell vege-
tables in the nearby markets after providing for her per-
sonal consumption.
5STEPPONDPURULIA
She depends on farming for
her livelihood, which, in turn,
requires water for sustenance.
Since water is scarce in this vil-
lage, so the only crop that used
to grow here was dhaan and
she, along with the other far-
mers in her village, was de-
pendent on the rainy seasonfor irrigation. The cattle had to
be grazed over large distances
in search of water and grass.
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Benefits of the 5-step pond: The 5-step pond is beneficial
in many ways. As the water of the pond dries up in the drier
months, the higher steps can be used for vegetable planta-
tion. Also, watering these plants becomes easier as the water
can be easily drawn from the pond itself, which is just a step
below the field. This plantation has also made the pond bed
favourable for developing fisheries, since it provides fodder
for the fishes. The step pond is owned by 8 people who can
breed fish in the pond. The remaining 16 people can use the
water from the pond for irrigation. They do plant vegetables
around the pond; however, they do not have a share in the
fish-breeding. Apart from the income from the fishery, all
the profit is equally shared by theDal members.
No looking back: Radhika is really grateful for the efforts
that the Service Centre has made in helping her and the other
villagers. She speaks about the difference that water has
brought in their lives. The women of this village stitch dis-
posable plates (pattal) out ofSal tree leaves and sell them in
the nearby market. Radhika has bought a new sewing
chine by borrowing money from the community bank,
chay. This has speeded up the process of stitching plates which earlier used to be done by hand.
This has resulted in an addition to the family income.
A bit of microfinance:Sanchay, a community bank initiated with the help of DRCSC, has been
created wherein each of the members contribute Rs. 10 per month. The money is lent at an inter-
est of 2% per month. Loans are given for various purposes, among them buying seeds, payment
of wages to workers and tuition fees of children being the usual reasons. This has helped the vil-
lagers break free from the clutches of the tyrannicalMahajans (moneylenders) exorbitantly high
rates of interest. A cashier appointed from among the Dal maintains all the records ofSanchays
activities. The community feeling has only grown over the years, with the setting up of beej
bhandarand grain gola, apart from Sanchay.
Radhika says she is no longer dependent merely on the rains for her livelihood. AsDalnetri, she
has the responsibility of holding theDal together, sorting out minor differences if any, and work-
ing for the overall benefit of theDal. She wakes up each morning, full of optimism about her fu-
ture and a zest to work for the benefit of other poverty- stricken laborers around her.
Radhika is really grateful for
the efforts that the Service
Centre has made in helping
her and the other villagers.She speaks about the differ-
ence that water has brought
in their lives.
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Nitya Goswami lives in the village of Bhalukgajar in Pu-rulia district. The fields here are full of pebbles, making
the lives of farmers very tough here. Making the situation
worse is the fact that they are faced with a perennial water
scarcity problem. Nitya was among the numerous farmers
who grow a single crop a year, dhaan, which is West
Bengals staple crop and they do it with the help of rain-
fed irrigation.
The fields are located near the river Dwarkeshwar and
Service Centre (DRCSC) had some plans in mind. Con-vinced with DRCSCs scheme, the farmers formed a Dal
and named it Dwarkeshwar Bhalukgajar Chasi dal .
Nitya was appointed the cashier of the Dal and he took
the responsibility upon himself enthusiastically. The Dal
started the project by digging a well close to the river. It
turned out to be quite a difficult task. The project budget,
estimated to be Rs. 2.6 lakh initially, exceeded that
amount by far and the actual cost turned out to be Rs. 3.38
lakh when the digging was completed. The inaccuracy in estimating the cost arose primarily be-
cause of the stones which covered the land, and made accurate planning a difficult task for the
project leaders.
Now, the well has been dug and the water stored in the well is supplied to the land under cultiva-
tion with the help of pumps. Nitya and the other farmers are following the mixed farming system
as suggested by the Service Centre, and now they grow two crops simultaneously, and not just
dhaan(paddy)astheyused to earlier. This is followed to ensure that in case one crop fails, they
still have the second crop to rely on.
The members of the Dal pay for the maintenance of the motor pumps and the well. In case a
farmer who is not a Dal member requires water, (s)he, too can use the water from the well bypaying a nominal amount. This money goes to the Dal and is kept aside for use in the future.
This work was started in 2007, and at present it irrigates 70 -80 bighas of land. The dal members
believe that in the future it would irrigate about 400 bighas of land.
RIVERLIFTIRRIGATION
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Life for Nitya has changed considerably. Apart from expe-
riencing an improvement in his standard of living, he feels a
sense of pride in being the cashier of the Dal. He stronglybelieves in helping the poor and landless laborers by provid-
ing them water for irrigating their lands. He can empathize
with them since it was not more than a year ago that his land
was also water- starved, while now it is lush with greenery,
just like the thousands of other farmers that DRCSC has
helped become self-sufficient.
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Kaalu, a villager who lives in a small village named Ka-shiara, under the jurisdiction of the Gram Panchayat of
Kankalitala in Birbhum district. Many times, the most
times he and his family used to worry about was whether
they would have enough to eat for the next day. This
went on for a long time till one fine day in 1998, his at-
tention was attracted by a person shouting through a mi-
crophone about a new livelihood scheme that was being
implemented by an NGO, DRCSC, which came to be po-
pularly known as service centre. Kaalu decided to listen
to them and, as it turned out later, this decision changed
his life forever. There was a 50-year old canal running
through the fields which used to provide irrigation to the
paddy fields earlier but was not running at the capacity it
was capable of. The DRCSC people chose this canal and
proposed a scheme to develop a social forest on the fal-
low land on both sides of the canal. This land belonged to
the grampanchayatand it took some convincing on the
part of the DRCSC before the panchayat agreed to pro-
vide the particular stretch of land for this project on lease
for a period of 25 years. Initially, 100 families came for-
ward to carry out the implementation of the canal forestry project and the forestry project was
launched.Arhar daal (legumes) plants were sown on both sides for the purpose of personal con-
sumption as well as for providing fuel wood for cooking, since the arhar stem displays good
combustion properties.
Kaalu is one of the countless landless labourers who have found employment and a source of li-
velihood under the DRCSCs social forestry scheme. Since then, only 15 families remain as be-
neficiaries of the forestry scheme.
Land search and negotiation: The dal planted trees and saplings along the canal over a 30-km
long stretch, known as the Common Property Resource, the work on which was started in 1998.
This stretch of land was identified after a survey done by the DRCSC and the land around the
canal was identified.
KAALUTHECARETAKER
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This land was owned by the Gram Panchayatwhich agreed to
lease this land to the dal for a period of 25 years, under the
condition that the profits were to be shared by the Dal and the
Panchayatin the ratio of 1:3, i.e. 75% of the profits from the
entire project would be given to the Panchayat, the dal distri-
buting the rest of the money amongst themselves.
Setback and self-belief: However, the initial enthusiasm and
happy feelings all around, however, were not meant to last
long. No sooner had the saplings begun to yield returns than
disaster struck. The saplings were either stolen or eaten by
cattle from nearby villages. All efforts went in vain. It was a
huge loss to them. Many families decided to pull out of the
dal started by DRCSC, not entirely convinced by its profita-
bility.
However, 15 families stood firm by their decision. They did not lose heart and decided to stick
on with the project. The Dal planted saplings once again and formed groups and guarded the
plants on a rotational basis. Their wise decision and loyalty is paying off now.
The Dal members believe that the work done by govern-
ment does not yield results as there is no constant monitor-
ing, however the work done by DRCSC or any other self
help group is effective.
Apart from this source of income, the Dal members breed
hens and goats for their livelihood. This region is famous
for its katha stitch work and the women do Katha to add to
the family income.
About NREGS: There is a low level of awareness about
NREGS among the people in the village and they call it ek
sau din kaaj. The Panchayat spread most of the informa-
tion about the NREGS. The people here think that it is the
responsibility of the government to make the job cards
ready for them.
However, 15 families stood
firm by their decision. Theydid not lose heart and decided
to stick on with the project.
The Dal planted saplings once
again and formed groups and
guarded the plants on a rota-
tional basis. Their wise deci-
sion and loyalty is paying off
now.
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Chapter 5
FINDINGSANDANALYSISIn this chapter we have tried to portray a real picture of NREGS as it exists on ground across the
villages in the 3 districts (Birbhum, Purulia and North 24 Parganas) of West Bengal.
Recognition of a number of requirements:
NeedforrightCommunicationpathway
One problem which was rampant across all the villages was the lack of adequate communication
which led to lack of awareness among various stakeholders. There was a lack of communication
from the District level to the Panchayat level and from the Panchayat to the villagers. Panchayat
workers, who are the implementer of this scheme, were
not aware of the scheme in its true spirit. They mightbe thorough with the wording of the Act per say but the
interpretation, which was in most cases erroneous, was
different in different villages. Hence there were very
few Panchayats which understood the fact that the ob-
jective was not merely to create man-hours or tempo-
rary employment generation, but to create certain es-
sential and most importantly sustainable assets which
in turn will be giving them livelihood security in the
future.
The villagers were far behind them in their knowledge
of NREGS. There is no denying the fact that every sin-
gle person had heard ofEksho Diner Kaaj (100 days
work) as they call it locally. However when it comes to
the procedures to ask for that 100 days work and their rights under the scheme, they seemed to
be utterly ignorant in some cases. The level of knowledge was so poor that in a few villages of
Purulia, villagers didnt even know that they should apply for the work by filling up an applica-
tion form. Even those who had worked under the NREGS in the past were unaware of the proce-
dures. The news that there is some NREGS activity in the village normally spreads through word
of mouth and the villagers reach the site of activity directly.
According to the Panchayat workers the publicity is mostly done through pamphlets, wall-
writings and miking. Another major channel of communication is the Gram Sansad meetings in
the months of May and November when the planning of the projects is done. However in general
the attendance in both of these meetings is very low, in-fact negligible. If the quorum for the
meeting is not met the meeting is scheduled for a suitable date, a few weeks later. But even in the
Even those who had worked
under the NREGS in the past
were unaware of the proce-
dures. The news that there is
some NREGS activity in the vil-
lage normally spreads through
word of mouth and the villag-
ers reach the site of activity di-
rectly.
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second meting the turnout is generally low. With no other option left the members present take
the decision on behalf of the entire Sansad. Actually the fact remains that there is no major moti-
vation to attend these meetings. The farmers work daily hand to mouth to earn a living. To sus-
pend the work even for half a day and attend meetings does not seem to be fruitful to them. They
consider their presence of meager or no importance however the truth is that without the pres-
ence of each and every voter such Sansad meetings are incomplete. Also another reason for low
attendance is the timings of these meetings. The first one is scheduled in the month of May,
which is peak summer, when the temperatures are soaring. The next one is in November, when
its harvest season and the farmers are generally busy.
With most of the job card holders, unemployment allowance is something unheard of. Even if
some have heard about it from some sources, they find it very
hard to believe in. Most scorned even at the mention of such
a concept. They said that they were content even if they re-
ceived their daily wages under NREGS in time.
The Panchayats on the other hand manipulate things so that
the claim for an unemployment allowance does not arise at
all. Most cases they dont communicate this provision to the
job card holders. Also since the job card holders are largely
illiterate and unaware of the paper work involved, they are
made to fill applications without the date mentioned, remov-
ing any scope for tracking the 15days deadline for allotting
work.
An interesting point to note here that while the daily wages
comes from the central government, the unemployment al-
lowance falls in the State governments kitty. Naturally the
State government is reluctant to release fund to pay job card holders who have not been allotted
work, which is due to inefficiency on the part of the Panchayats or the District level authorities.
The Panchayats hence, keep this chapter closed lest it may arouse more clashes between the gov-
ernments.
The problem becomes severe in some places of North 24 Parganas, where one has to travel
around 20 kms and has to cross 2 rivers to get the unemployment allowance to collect his unem-ployment allowance from the BDO office. Then they prefer not to have it. The reason to include
unemployment allowance in the act is to ensure the employment and that is why it is called guar-
antee, however in the real scenario the picture is entirely different. Just applying the concept in
the act is not solving the problem.
With most of the job card
holders, unemployment al-
lowance is something un-
heard of. Even if some have
heard about it from some
sources, they find it very
hard to believe in. Most
scorned even at the mention
of such a concept.
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Theres another problem associated with incomplete knowledge about a provision like unem-
ployment allowance. Some job card holders are tended to misuse this provision, when they are
not working on any NREGS project, which actually might be due to their unwillingness to do
manual work.
RightHumanResourcesrequired
One core reason of NREGS failure in many villages of these districts is the scarcity of Human
Resources at the Panchayats. . At many Panchayats, it was observed thatNirman Sahayakhad to
be shared between more than one Panchayat. At one Panchayat, Executive Officer told that they
need at least 6 people for proper planning and measurement purpose; however there are only 3
people, out of which the Nirman Sahayakworks 3 days at that Panchayat and rest 2 days at
another Panchayat. The exam for the recruitment ofNirman Sahayakwas held last year (2007),
but results were not out yet. So in real sense there were only 2.5 people at that Panchayat to look
after NREGS activities. 3 persons even working all the days at breakneck speed would fail toeven come near the targets. At most places, the main reason for the huge delays in implementa-
tion of the scheme (including planning, measurement, delivering wages etc.) is the lack of
trained personnel at the Panchayat level. Many activities like training of the villagers, taking care
of the assets developed under NREGS and measurement of the work done are either delayed or
in some cases abandoned completely and all these stem out of this reason in one or other way.
RedirectionofFundFlow
With most of the Panchayats, the problem is not in the lack for
funds but in the proper distribution of it. During a financial year,for the first phase budget should be passed in the month of April
to start the work, but Panchayats get the money in the month of
October or November. The reason as stated by the Panchayats
karmis was excess paper work involved in NREGS and scarcity
of Human Resources. The process of getting a project approved
involves a number of steps and red tape at multiple levels which
require a lot of time, skills and human resources. As a result,
quite a few Panchayats receive money only around November
and at the end of the financial year, the Panchayats are not left
with much time to achieve the goals which were set and are left
with the funds not spent, and lots of work unfinished. However,
the unspent money is considered as a failure on the part of the
Panchayat to implement NREGS though the real fault lies with the delayed release of money.
The money at block level is distributed among different Panchayats under that block. So if one
Panchayat is more efficient and finishes its work before other Panchayats, it still has to wait till
The process of getting aproject approved involves
a number of steps and red
tape at multiple levels
which require a lot of time,
skills and human resources.
As a result, quite a few
Panchayats receive money
only around Novem-
ber.
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other Panchayats exhaust the funds allotted to them before getting the second round of funds to
be cleared. The reason as stated by a Panchayat Karmi is that a Block cant apply for next phase
fund, unless all the Panchayats under it have exhausted their funds. This system of fund distribu-
tion which has the slowest worker as a parameter does not encourage the Panchayats to be com-
petitive.
PoliticalNuancesOppositionPolitics
At many Panchayats, it was observed that NREGS has continuously been used for scoring politi-
cal points. It was stated by many Panchayat Karmis that opposition instigates villagers to go for
making a job-card even if they dont need one, so that it increases the pressure on the village
Panchayat. Since these people are not in need of this scheme and there fore do not apply for
work, this gives the opposition a way to show the inefficiency of the Panchayat using these num-
bers.
There are also some rare cases where the opposition party at the state or district level heads the
Panchayat and so doesnt receive proper fund. While these political obstacles can not be genera-
lized to all villages, they do show the politicization of NREGS.
Corruptionatmanylevels
It is mandatory for each Panchayat to increase forest area
and invest NREGS money in social forestry project,
however it was observed that only two species acacia
and eucalyptus, which are neither Indian nor meant forIndian soil are grown wherever NREGS work is done.
The land where these plants are grown becomes totally
infertile and uncultivable with in a few years. What is
alarming is that the villagers well know the hazards of
planting these trees but continue planting them in spite
of Panchayats request not to do so only because of the
financial returns. Another reason to plant only these two
types of trees is that the forest department prefers to
supply only these two types of trees due to the quick re-
turns it gives and the rewards can be reaped with in the
officials tenure in that area.
To make matters worse, a few villagers in the district of Birbhum admitted that they manipulate
the number of days they worked for financial gains. They used to mention more number of days
To make matters worse, a few vil-
lagers in the district of Birbhumadmitted that they manipulate the
number of days they worked for
financial gains. They used to men-
tion more number of days than
they have worked for. They vehe-
mently defend their work by saying
Agar sab khate hain to hum kyoon
na khaaye
.
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than they have worked for. They vehemently defend their work by saying Agar sab khate hain
to hum kyoon na khaaye
In another village in Birbhum, Villagers started a movement against the corruption of Panchayat
where villagers were paid 50/- instead of 60/-. Also the number of days used to be manipulatedwhile entering into the records. The movement started by 75 people against this corruption final-
ly resulted in their voice being heard and they were given the wages which were due to them.
Bureaucracy rules - NGOs uncalled for
In many villages, most NGOs are not viewed favorably by the Panchayat in spite of the work
they do as they consider it as a threat to their existence and consider it a parallel authoritative
body. In this state run by the communist government, they are also considered popularizing
propaganda of anti-communism.
ImproperPlanning
Lowattendance
This factor is also an effect of lack of resources. In Gram Unnayan Samiti meetings, there is re-
presentation of different stakeholders. However all the representatives do not come to attend
these meetings for a simple reason that they dont find any incentive to come to the meeting. In
most of the cases these people survive on daily wages and for them going out to earn their live-
lihood are more important than attending Gram Unnayan Samiti meetings. Each person is paid
only 250/- per year for being the member ofGram Unnayan Samiti which is not much of an in-
centive for these people to turn up in these meetings and concentrating on the planning of the
projects needed for their respective communities.
Another place where projects are decided and proposals are discussed, are the Gram Sansad
meetings which generally happen in the months of May and November. Once again, the atten-
dance very low and the decisions which are to be taken unanimously are taken by a handful of
people.
Unscientificmethodsofplanning
There is a real need of resource mapping and knowledge mapping to decide which part of the
village needs what resources and to make sure the projects benefits reach the neediest people.
The important part of sustenance of these projects as an asset for the community is not planned.
Needofseasonalwork
Almost at all places, villagers mentioned that they want work only in selective months. As per
Hindi Calendar they need work in the months of Bhadro/Asin (15th Aug-15th Oct) and
Magh/Falgun (15th
Jan-15th
March). Rest of the time they have some other work, however in
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these months they are free and dont have anything else to do. This aspect is not factored in
while drawing up plans for the projects.
ImproperExecution
SocialAudit
Social audit is a very important aspect of NREGS, however the ground reality gives a different
picture altogether. There is no proper execution of social audit in most places. This leads to a sit-
uation where the villagers and the Panchayat Karmis know all the problems involved but they
cannot do anything about it. Wherever social auditing takes place, it is done in a very haphazard
manner.
Irregularattendanceofworkers
One problem that stems from the attitude of the villagers is
that there is no sense of responsibility towards governmentprojects. Many times it happens that villagers register
themselves for the work but dont turn up on the site regu-
larly. There are not enough people as well who can moni-
tor the projects on a daily basis. Finally it leads to devia-
tion from the planning and creates problem in execution.
On the other hand, members in a Dal formed by DRCSC
feel more attached with the assets developed under
DRCSC projects rather that NREGS. The reason they have stated that when they work for a gov-
ernment project, objective is to get the wages of that par-ticular day and leave the site, while in a DRCSC project
they are involved from the very conception of the project.
Apart from that, the profit generated though the projects is
shared with them developing a sense of belonging in them.
They feel it be comes their responsibility to take care of
the asset and it leads to a sustainable employment genera-
tion source.
Lackofknowledge
There is a lack of awareness in the villagers about the con-
cept of Sustainable Asset. The focus instead is on the
short term gains. As mentioned earlier in this report in the
case of acacia and eucalyptus plantations, despite of the Panchayats efforts, as their objective is
to get financial returns as soon as possible even though it might mean grave problems in the long
term. Even in many projects of DRCSC, it does happen that a few members leave the Dal from
Many times it happens that
villagers register themselves
for the work but dont turn up
on the site regularly. There
are not enough people as
well who can monitor the
projects on a daily basis.
The difference however is
that while DRCSC under-stands the importance of mo-
tivation and trains their
workers to handle that also,
NREGA does not have a me-
chanism to deal with it.
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time to time as they are not able to see long term benefits out of these projects. The difference
however is that while DRCSC understands the importance of motivation and trains their workers
to handle that also, NREGA does not have a mechanism to deal with it. Panchayat, while aware
of this, are helpless because neither there is cooperation from the villagers nor they have enough
resources to maintain these assets. In fact Panchayat tried to plant different type of plants in the
starting in the Social Forestry projects, but they couldnt survive since they were not taken care
of by the villagers. The villagers finally opted for Acacia and Eucalyptus plants for a reason that
they dont need any maintenance or care.
ComplexityoftheAct
As mentioned by most of the Panchayat Karmis, the act is too complex to understand. Also it
gets changed from time to time. That makes it more difficult to understand and apply.
YourRightsUndertheEmploymentGuaranteeAct
WORKAPPLICATIONS
WiththisJobCard,youareentitledtoapplyforworkatanytime.YoucansubmityourapplicationtotheGramPanchayat,ortotheBlockoffice.
RealPicture:Almostatallvillages,noonewasawarethattheycanapplyatanytime.Theycometoknowabouttheprojectsthroughwordofmouthandthentheygivetheirapplicationforwork.Infactatsomeplacestheyevendontapplyforworkanddirectlyreachtothesiteoftheproject.
Whenyouapplyforwork,makesurethatyougetadatedandsignedreceipt. RealPicture:AtsomevillagesPanchayataccepttheapplicationwithoutdate. Ifyoudonotgetemploymentwithin15days,youareentitledtotheunemploymentallowance. RealPicture: Inmostof thecasesvillagersarenotawareofunemploymentallowance;
even if theyareaware theycanteven thinkofgetting it.Theysaid Kaamkepaisemiljayevohihamareliyebadibaathain.
WORKERSENTITLEMENTS
Wagesshouldbepaidwithinaweek,orfifteendaysatmost. RealPicture:Forpayingthewagesfirstmeasurementneedstobedoneandforthatthere
isaneedofskilledhumanresourcesatPanchayatlevelwhicharenotavailable.Italways
leadstolatepaymentofwages.
UNEMPLOYMENTALLOWANCE
Youcanapply for theunemploymentallowance to theGramPanchayatorBlockOffice(youwillneedthereceiptshowingwhenyouappliedforwork).
RealPicture:Applyingforunemploymentallowanceisnotaeasytask,inafewvillagesofNorth24Parganas,onehas to travelmanykms.Andhas to cross2 rivers to reach to
BlockOfficeforapplyingforunemploymentallowance.
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ComparativeAnalysis
The main objective of NREGS is to generate sustainable community assets and while doing thatgenerate man-days and thus income for the villagers. However, NREGS is only partially success-
ful in its endeavor. To get a better understanding of how the projects taken under NREGS fare
against the models which are being implemented by the NGO, DRCSC, a comparative analysis
of the models is done in this chapter. The different projects considered which are done under
NREGS are pond digging, social forestry etc. DRCSC, on the other hand has brought in new,
scientifically superior models into the villages either by adding small variations to the existing
models or by bringing completely new models.
The comparative study between NREGS and DRCSCs models is done based on four
parameters.Technical parameters
Economical parameters
Environmental parameters
Social parameters
TechnicalParameters
The models implemented under NREGA are
not done keeping the technical aspects in
mind. For example, pond digging is one of the
most popular projects under NREGS. Howev-er, many of the ponds do not function beyond
the first year or two. This is due to the bad
technicalities involved in it. Tweaking themodel a little, DRCSC has been implementing
the step pond model. A small variation to a
normal pond making the surface in forms ofsteps has increased the options for income
generation as well as the sustainability of the
pond also. In many cases, these step ponds are
integrated with the other models and haveproven to be more productive than the normal
ponds.
EconomicalParameters
The models which are implemented by NREGS focus
mainly on the generation of man-days. The projects like
digging of ponds or laying of roads, while provide cer-
tain benefits to the community if planned well, with
exceptions are not economically sustainable. They do
not generate any revenue and need to be renovated in a
few years time which would again need financial and
human resources to be spent on it. On the other hand,
the models DRCSC has proposed and has been imple-
menting successfully run on the guiding principle that
these projects would be economically sustainable with-
in a few years of beginning. Food Forest is a prime
example of an economically viable model. This model
has become sustainable with in two years and ge-nerates income for the stakeholders.
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.
EnvironmentalParameters
One of the minimum criteria for a project to betaken under NREGS should be that there should
not be any negative repercussions of the projects.
One of the worst casualties in these projects al-
ways tends to be the environment. A case in ex-
ample here would be the social forestry plan im-
plemented in Purulia district. In a clear case of en-
vironmental balance being disrupted, Eucalyptus
plants were planted on a huge stretch of land be-
longing to the forest department. While the reve-
nue from these plantations would be with in the
next 5 years, the Eucalyptus trees deplete the land
on which they grow of all the minerals making
them virtually unusable for cultivation of any sort.
DRCSC models, on the other hand, take the envi-
ronmental sustainability as a key factor while de-
signing the projects. The projects like DRCSCs
food forestry thrive on planting a variety of plants
are planted. It has been scientifically proved that
planting of a mixture of trees is much better for the
soil as the minerals would be used optimally.
SocialParameters
The social parameters to be considered would bethe benefit the community as a whole is getting
from the projects. While the objective of NREGS
is to create such assets, the models used currently
so not serve the lofty objectives. The models
which are implemented by DRCSC and a few oth-
er NGOs have been designed in such a way that
the output is maximized with out compromising
on the ideals of the NREGA.
DRCSCs Nursery Model (Refer to the sectionStudy of DRCSC models) in the village of Bol-pur in Birbhum district has proved to be a blessing
for the Dal members of the villagers who were
facing the scarcity of wood to be used as fuel. Ear-lier, the kids of theDal members used to spend the
majority of the day collecting wood to be used as
fuel and as a reason never attended school. What
the success of the Nursery Model has done is thatit has ensured that an increased number of these
kids go to the school. A similar case of social de-
velopment can be observed in the Salya village ofPurulia district where DRCSCs 5steps pond mod-
el has led to a lesser dependency on monsoon forirrigation, increased number of crops, empower-
ment of women and an overall development of the
villagers. (Refer to the section Case Studies:5Step Pond Purulia)
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Chapter 6
RECOMMENDATIONS:
A
PATH
AHEAD
The hindrance in the successful implementation of NREGS is more at the execution level rather
than the planning level. The problem is not with the unavailability of fund, the problem is with
the planning and usage of those funds. All problems at the execution level are linked with each
other in one way or other, and hence there is a need of a holistic solution.
In this chapter we have proposed a new model to handle the problems at execution level.
Through this model we have tried to address issues like half-hearted involvement of villagers in
NREGS projects, lack of resources at Panchayat level, improper planning and less focus on live-
lihood-generation.
CommunityModel
CommunityModel
DalFormation(Identify the most needed
people)
Generatesustaina
bleasset(Define criteria for the
same)
Involvementofother
implementingagen
cies(Fund from GP and people
ProperPlanning(Resource mapping and
knowledge mapping)
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ProperPlanning
Before planning, it is very necessary to track which resources in which part of the village can bedeveloped under NREGS? Which project will lead to a sustainable asset? Which is the neediest
community in the village? For answering
Recommended