RIDERS FOR NREGA: CHALLENGES OF BACKWARD DISTRICTS

The 200 backward districts where the NREGA is being implemented make the Act more desirable but at the same time less feasible. Their unique socio-economic and governance problems better be understood for the NREGA to be effective.

The 200 backward districts, identified by the Planning Commission (See box: Measuring Backwardness), will pose major challenges to the implementation of the NREGA because of their special problems. They are the least developed areas of the country comprising mostly marginal farmers and forest dwellers. In many of these districts poverty has increased despite consistent focus of several poverty eradication programmes. Governance has little or no presence in most of these districts.

The NREGA with the aim to reduce poverty is thus desirable for these districts. The NREGA can target development using huge demand for casual jobs. However, the absence of governance will make the implementation difficult. It is thus imperative to understand the complex socioeconomic and governance challenges of the backward districts. This will help implement the NREGA in an effective way. And for the NREGA, these districts will decide its overall success.

A DIFFICULT CONSTITUENCY

Widespread poverty is a major feature with all these districts. A large number of them are located in the arid and semi–arid regions with 94 districts covered under the Drought Prone Areas Programme (DPAP) and 8 districts covered under the Desert Development Programme (DDP) 1.The socio economic indicators of most of these districts are generally below the national average. Out of these 200 districts, 148 have literacy lower than the national average (63.58%) while the rate of female literacy in 154 districts is lower than the national average of 54.16%. Also, the proportion of SC/ST population in most of these areas is higher than in other areas. In 41 of them(which does not include Jamtara, Latehar, Simdega, Sraikela-Kharsawan districts of Jharkhand for which census 2001 figures are not available) STs constitute majority of the population2.These districts are also the most backward regions in terms of connectivity. There are 21 districts in the Himalayan region and the North East that are completely mountainous. Besides, a number of districts in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Orissa have hilly terrain. There are also wide variations in the size and population of the districts.
SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE
These districts are primarily agricultural and in 115 districts, the percentage of agricultural labourers in the total rural working population is higher than the national average of 33 percent, indicating the large-scale landlessness in these districts combined with lack of effective employment opportunities in the non-agricultural sector. The result is lower incomes for a large section of the rural population contributing towards the backwardness of these districts apart from agro–climatic and physiographic conditions.

Less governed
Panchayati Raj Institutions are the designated agencies for the implementation of NREGA. The village Panchayat will implement at least 50 percent of total works. There are 61,763 village
Panchayats in the 200 districts as compared to 1894 block Panchayats. So the number of implementing agency is very high and they are very diverse in their political and socio-economic structures. Currently the ministry of rural development claims that the village Panchayats are implementing close to 83 percent of total NREGA works while others including independent implementing agencies and block Panchayats are implementing around 17 percent of works.
However, in some of the 200 districts, Panchayats do not exist, or are non-functional and the
Gram Sabhas which are require to choose the shelf of projects are dormant in some of the cases.
The second administrative reform commission report is very vocal in pointing out that in many of the districts the local governance is non-existent.
Out of the 200 districts, 119 are in seven states: Bihar, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh,
Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. Except Rajasthan, all the six states are affected by Left extremism. Altogether 64 districts are severely affected by extremism. There are districts where the Panchayats are non-existent, non-functional due to the problem of not having regular and dedicated functionaries. So the first challenge is to bring back governance to these districts.
While on the one hand these districts’ Panchayats are not that well governed, on the other hand the NREGA puts further governance pressures. Each Panchayat has to make a perspective plan and annual plans for implementing the scheme. The perspective plan is an extensive exercise that includes charting of the village’s resources, its poverty, its demands, work situations and based on these facts prescribing a template for future development requirements. The annual plan involves identifying needy people, scooping works for them in advance and also prepare horde of accounts.
The nature of local governments varies considerably in these 200 districts as the constitution of local bodies in the Fifth Schedule areas will be considerably different from those falling under the
Sixth Schedule Areas, such as, Mizoram and Meghalaya, where Part IX of the constitution is not applicable. In the areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, where as many as 63 of these backward districts are located, the quality of local bodies was expected to improve after the enactment of the
Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. So, it is the success in the implementation of PESA, which will have a bearing effect on the implementation of NREGA.

While on the one hand these districts’ Panchayats are not that well governed, on the other hand the NREGA puts further governance pressures. Each Panchayat has to make a perspective plan and annual plans for implementing the scheme. The perspective plan is an extensive exercise that includes charting of the village’s resources, its poverty, its demands, work situations and based on these facts prescribing a template for future development requirements. The annual plan involves identifying needy people, scooping works for them in advance and also prepare horde of accounts.
The nature of local governments varies considerably in these 200 districts as the constitution of local bodies in the Fifth Schedule areas will be considerably different from those falling under the
Sixth Schedule Areas, such as, Mizoram and Meghalaya, where Part IX of the constitution is not applicable. In the areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, where as many as 63 of these backward districts are located, the quality of local bodies was expected to improve after the enactment of the
Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. So, it is the success in the implementation of PESA, which will have a bearing effect on the implementation of NREGA.

While on the one hand these districts’ Panchayats are not that well governed, on the other hand the NREGA puts further governance pressures. Each Panchayat has to make a perspective plan and annual plans for implementing the scheme. The perspective plan is an extensive exercise that includes charting of the village’s resources, its poverty, its demands, work situations and based on these facts prescribing a template for future development requirements. The annual plan involves identifying needy people, scooping works for them in advance and also prepare horde of accounts.
The nature of local governments varies considerably in these 200 districts as the constitution of local bodies in the Fifth Schedule areas will be considerably different from those falling under the
Sixth Schedule Areas, such as, Mizoram and Meghalaya, where Part IX of the constitution is not applicable. In the areas under the Fifth Schedule of the Constitution, where as many as 63 of these backward districts are located, the quality of local bodies was expected to improve after the enactment of the
Panchayats (Extension to the Scheduled Areas) Act, 1996. So, it is the success in the implementation of PESA, which will have a bearing effect on the implementation of NREGA.