Relevance of MNREGP in Haryana

The rural development is the vital of the development of a country. Indias 72%
population living in 630000 villages (Census 2001) where poverty ratio is 28.3% (61st round
survey) and the unemployment estimates on the basis of Usual Principal Status (UPS), Current
Weekly Status (CWS), Current Daily Status (CDS) are 2.5%, 3.9% and 8.2% respectively, as
percent of total labor force (NSSO 61st round survey). In the rural India 47.26% population are
illiterate (NSSO 61st round survey). In such a scenario only the inclusive growth approach may
help the government in reducing the poverty ratio and unemployment rate and the NREGA is the
result of thinking that focuses upon inclusive growth approach (Gupta A., 2010).
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 is the first nation-wide employment
scheme rolled out in the world that provides a statutory basis for demanding employment to a
rural Indian. The need for a comprehensive program for employing the millions of rural
unskilled labor force emerged from the stumpy growth to employment and underdevelopment in
rural sector leading to marginalization of rural India from sharing the fruits of development that
emerged after the liberalization era.
The Act provides a guarantee for rural employment to households whose adult members
volunteer to do un-skilled manual work not less than 100 days of such work in a financial year in
accordance with the scheme made under the Act. NREGS, was launched on February 2, 2006, in
200 most backward districts in the first phase, was expanded to 330 districts in the second phase
during 2007-08. The remaining 266 districts were notified on September 28, 2008, and the
scheme has now been extended to all the districts of the country. On October 2, 2009 it is
renamed as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MNREGA) named
after Gandhi ji.
The MNREGA scheme is different from the earlier wage employment programs in
different ways. It provides legal guarantee of 100 days work to every rural house hold whose
adult member volunteer to do un-skilled manual work. If an applicant is not provided
employment within 15 days he / she shall be entitled to unemployment allowance. Rural
Employment Guarantee Scheme is demand -driven instead of being supply-driven.
The objective of the Act is to create durable assets and strengthen the livelihood resource
base of the rural poor. The choice of works suggested in the Act addresses causes of chronic
poverty like drought, deforestation and soil erosion, so that the process of employment
generation is maintained on a sustainable basis The Act provides an opportunity to build rural
infrastructure through watershed development, restoration of water bodies such as tanks and
canals, activities aimed at forestry, land development, and soil erosion and flood control, and
construction of roads and institutional facilities. The scheme focuses on, water conservation and
water harvesting, drought proofing including afforestration and tree plantation, irrigation canals
including micro and minor irrigation works, Provision of irrigation facilities to land owned by
households belonging to SC/ST or to land of beneficiaries of land reforms or that of the beneficiaries
under IAY. Further, the act provides the job opportunity to job seeker with in 5 km. radius of the
village or else extra wages of 10% are payble. A 60:40 ratio of wages and materials has to be
maintained. Contractors and use of labour-displacing machinery is prohibited.

The performance of MNREGA judge by the employment generated under the scheme
(Gupta A., 2010). Roy D.S. et al., 2009, measure the performance of NREGA on the average
number of person days created per household. According to 2009-10 MIS data on MNREGA
11321361 job cards issued under the scheme. Out of them 52900678 HHS have demanded
employment, from them 52556646 HHS provided employment. Bihar issued the highest number
of job cards but Andhra Pradesh provided highest number of employment under the scheme.
During 2009-10 total 28332.2 lakh person days generated under the scheme instead of 21632.86
lakh in 2008-09.
Since the implementation of MNREGA in India several works carried out to
check its effectiveness. Jha R. et.al., 2009, analyzed NREGPs effectiveness as a anti poverty
program by using pooled household level data for the Indian states of Rajasthan and Andhra
Pradesh. While a UNDP sponsored report in 2009 shows appraisal of impact assessment of
NREGS in selected districts of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana with their districts Sirmur,
Hoshiarpur, Sirsa respectively for the period July2009 August 2009. MNERGA was
implemented in these districts in its first phase. Roy D.S., Samanta D., 2009, worked on the
relationship of good governance and employment generation through NREGA. They studied
the working of Gram Panchayats of Paschim Medinipur district of West Bangal. Gaiha R., et.
al., 2009, have constructed an intuitive measure of the performance of the NREGS in India.
Singh S.P. et. al., from Indian institutes of technology Roorkee studied the impact of NREGA for
the state of Uttarkhand. IIT Channai conducted a study for the period of May 2009 to June 2009
to evaluate the performance of NREGA for the selected districts of Tamil Nadu. Gupta A., 2010
studied the impact of NREGS in Utter Pradesh, based upon the performance indicators given by
the government on NREGA.
The above stated studies emphasizes on the impact, effectiveness and implications of
MNREGA. But no report have been available about sustainability of MNREGA Program with
the perspective of employment generation particularly in the state of Haryana. Further, the
problems faced by officials regarding the implimation of MNREGA have not been explored
completely. Most of the works have been carried out the problems of job seekers and used the
data regarding beneficiaries. But no study has been done which defines the problems of
employers and shows what kinds of problems are faced by the officials for the effective
implementation of MNREGA particularly in the state of Haryana.
With the perspective of above stated deficiencies, the following objectives have been
proposed:
1. To study effectiveness of NREGS in employment generation.
2. Review the systems and processes followed in the implementation of NREGS and
identify inadequacies, if any, in them at GP, block and district levels;
3.

Assess the impacts of the scheme on various development indicators (such as income
and employment generation, livelihood security, creation of productive community
assets, households savings, investments and consumption patterns, financial

inclusion, households indebtedness, distress migration, land and water conservation,

agricultural productivity and wages, women empowerment, etc.);
4. Identify the possibility of convergence of NREGS Activities with other development
schemes and with the works of PRIs and the line departments so as to make it a far
more powerful tool of rural development;
5. Suggest measures to improve the efficacy and efficiency of the systems and processes
and ensure sustainable impact of the scheme on the peoples livelihood in particular
and overall development of rural economy in general;
6. Identify efficient management practices, procedures, processes, factors, for better
performance and generation of positive impact of the scheme ;
7. Suggest interventions and strategies for dissemination of those practices and factors
that can help to check the shortcomings of this scheme;
To meet the research objective proposed methodology is:
1. Primary data research by
a) Survey analysis by schedule
b) Focus group discussion
c) Interaction with officials
2. Secondary data research by NREGA website, related ministry and other source.