Implementation of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme : A Case Study of Uttar Pradesh, 2008

Though the Indian economy has achieved a substantial growth rate of 9 percent, the problem of unemployment and poverty in the rural areas of the country continues to be a cause of serious concern.

During the last three decades, the rich have become richer and the poor miserably poorer.

Even the marginal farmers have become landless labourers.

Due to ineffective delivery system and mismanagement of several employment programmes initiated by the central Government, the poor have not been benefited from them.

To provide means of livelihood and reduce the quantum of poverty especially in rural areas, the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre enacted a law to enable the poor people in the rural areas to get 100 days employment with legal guarantee.

This pro-active measure became a law when the National Rural Employment Guarantee Bill was unanimously passed by the Parliament on August 23, 2005 and notified in September, 2005. The book presents the findings of a pilot study on implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS), conducted in four districts-Sitapur, Reabareli, Unnao, and Barabanki-eight blocks, sixteen villages, interviewing 400 beneficiaries (25 per village) on the worksite.

Major findings reveal that the beneficiaries, while expression satisfaction on the new initiatives taken by the Government, demanded increase in wage rates, work site facilities as enshrined in the Act and increase in the number of working days in a financial year.

The study also reveals that there is wide appreciation of the NREGA in the rural areas with significant representation of beneficiaries from Scheduled Castes and Other Backward Classes.

There is need for vigorous identification of job opportunity well in advance and strict monitoring of the implementation process.

Creating greater awareness about the scheme through various local media facilities available in the rural areas and vigorous efforts to involve women workers is warranted.

Though the sample size of the study is small, it reveals the aspects of implementation process and plug various loopholes.