Asha for Education

Project Brief: Community awareness is of prime importance if NREGA is to be successful. Asha is funding Sahanivasa's effort to publicize EGA and to create awareness of the bill's provisions in the implementation areas.
Project Type: Community Awareness Programs (description)
Primary Focus: other (description)

Secondary Focus: creating resources

Area: Rural
Supporting Chapter Contact:
Boston

Status: UNKNOWN
Project Steward: Rajeev Annaluru
Project Partner(s): Chennaiah Poguri
Project Address: NREGA - National Rural Employment Guarantee Act
Post Box No.47
D. No. 22-977/1, Moruganipalle Road
Andhra Pradesh 517 001
Tel: (08572) 22475
Stewarding Chapter: Boston

National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, in short NREGA or EGA, has been passed by the Indian Parliament in the year 2005. The NREGA bill essentially guarantees employment for the unemployed in rural areas for 100 days in a year, through work such as building roads, improving water supply and works that are necessary to improve infrastructure in rural areas. The uniqueness of this bill is in the fact that it carries emphasis on issues like equality of wages for men and women, elimination of work contracting/middlemen, payment of wages only through bank and post office accounts to prevent corruption, creating transparency in workers muster rolls etc. Any individual, irrespective of his socio-economic status can ask for employment (either in writing or verbally) with the Gram Panchayat. The act guarantees that if work is not provided within a 15 day time frame (including the eligibility verification and issuing of the job cards) then the applicant is eligible for unemployment allowance. Work to be done is decided by the Gram Panchayat. Emphasis is given to unskilled manual labor focusing on building roads and other public village infrastructural facilities, water conservation, afforestation, land development & drought proofing. All adults in a house hold are eligible to work. If the work site is not within 5 kilometers from the applicant’s residence then the applicant is eligible for an additional 10% of the wage. This law can be a big boost for nomadic tribal communities since locally domiciled but migrant population is also eligible for employment.

Sahanivasa has been proactively monitoring the implementation of NREGA in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. Awareness in the community is highly essential to ensure proper implementation of NREGA. According to the January 2007 statistics from the National Advisory Council less than 50% of the allotted funds were used in the 200 districts where NREGA was operational. Even within the used funds there have been numerous cases of misuse of funds. Lack of community awareness/participation seems to be the prime reason for below-par implementation standard of EGA.

Sahanivasa aims to address the problem through close monitoring, propaganda through pamphlets, cultural shows and various other awareness programs.