MGNREGA a success in M’laya

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), a landmark legislation to improve the economic condition of rural mass of India through an assured 100 days of employment per household per year, was initially implemented in West Garo Hill and South Garo Hills districts of Meghalaya in 2006, with much publicity. The scheme emanating from the MGNREGA for providing unskilled manual work for 100 days per household at Rs 100 per day was found to be very beneficial to both people belonging to the above and below poverty lines. Due to its successful implementation in the State, the scheme was further extended to East Khasi Hills, Jaintia Hills and Ri Bhoi districts in 2007, and East Garo Hills and South Garo Hills districts. In the year 2008, East Garo Hills and West Khasi Hills district were covered in the third and the final phase.       

Talking to newsmen in Shillong, Meghalaya Secretary of Community and Rural Development F Kharlyngdoh said that initially the response in Garo Hills was very poor due to the delay in the administrative process of issuing job cards and irregular availability of funds. “When we have overcome this problem, the scheme has become very popular with some hesitation from the workers due to low wage,” Kharlyngdoh said.

When asked in terms of monetary utilization of funds, Kharlyngdoh said that in the year 2009-2010, a sum of Rs 183.52 crore was spent from the total amount of Rs 217.50 crore available during the year.

When asked as to why payment of the NERGS workers is still being made by cash as the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act has spelled out clearly that the payment of wages of NERGS workers should be done through banks to prevent corruption and other malpractices, Kharlyngdoh said that poor banking and postal network, particularly in the interior areas of Meghalaya, was a big hurdle for payment of wages in accordance with the MGNREGA. He, however, said that in order to overcome this shortcoming, the Community and Rural Development Department signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the State Bank of India on the November 12, 2010 with a view to bringing greater transparency in payment of wages to the MGGREGA workers.

He said under this agreement, the wages of these workers would be directly deposited into their personal account.

When asked from the State Bank of India (SBI) officials about the progress of the MoU, they said that two pilot projects would be taken up at Selsella Block in West Garo Hill and the other one was likely to be taken up at Mylliem Block. The system would be put into practice on a trial basis by February, and by March all the wages of NERGS workers would be done through the SBI, the officials added.