Says conditions cited by the Centre are not applicable to the State
State fears it will affect flexibility of schemes
Contends that workers do not need intermediaries
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The State government is understood to have expressed to the Centre its reservations about the move to rope in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) for implementing the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS) in the State.
Official sources told The Hindu here that the State government had raised objections on the grounds that the conditions cited by the Centre for deploying NGOs for executing the scheme were not applicable to the State.
Enabling beneficiaries
According to a note forwarded to the Local Administration Department by the Centre, the success of the scheme depends on enabling the beneficiaries to access and assert their rights and also leverage the Act to avail themselves of the development opportunities through other schemes and programmes.
It has been assumed that the beneficiaries are largely illiterate, poor and at the bottom of the social hierarchy and do not have the skill to record their rights or articulate their demands in writing.
Much more than the administrative lapses, the poor literacy skills of the beneficiaries has been cited as the reason for the absence of written applications for employment, non-issuance of dated receipts and non-payment of compensation for delay in wages.
‘Lok Karmi’
With a view to overcoming such shortcomings, the Centre has proposed to identify from among themselves or from their local community a facilitator termed ‘Lok Karmi’ to assist them and an agency described as ‘Lok Sevak’ for implementing the scheme.
Majority literate
The majority of the beneficiaries in the State are literate and hence do not need an intermediary to ascertain their rights.
Since the scheme is being implemented under the aegis of local self-government institutions, the workers have access to the muster rolls as well as other documents regarding the scheme.
As envisaged in the scheme, a group of 40 workers come under a ‘mate’ who keeps the muster rolls and monitors the works. Kudumbasree also has an active involvement in the execution process.
Devolving funds and responsibility to the NGOs was feared to affect the flexibility and transparency of the schemes and also give way to corrupt practices. The State government has also objected to the proposal that the honorarium for the facilitator will be incurred under six per cent administrative expenditure available under the scheme as the sanctioned funds would be inadequate, the sources said.