Barefoot by Harsh Mander

"Dignified Alternative" (The Hindu, June 28,2015)

His point is: 'Far from being useless , the MNREGA helps the impoverished and resilient poor earn a decent living'

He refers to the statement of PM Modi on the floor of the Parliament on MNREGA being the living monument of the previous government's failures, condemning millions of impoverished people to survive by 'digging ditches' . He visited a site along with his group of activists to learn the actual condition prevailing in the field. They tried their hands as workers along with other labourers for a few hours and burnt their fingers for the first time in their life. One should appreciate their interest and venture in this regard.

Both the PM and Harsh team were wrong in their assessment and problem solving.

MNREGA was a temporary solution, sought by the UPA  government at the Centre to address the burning issue of unemployment prevailing in rural India, of course formulated and executed mostly on the basis of experience gained in EGS implemented earlier by state government of Maharashtra.

It suffered like any other scheme in the country: output not commensurate to the wages paid, old and disabled too participated like other labourers by giving attendance, village panchayat functionaries using their discretionary powers discriminatingly, effecting late payment etc, misuse of funds for ineligible expenses etc.

Actually speaking the allotment could have been used better for the development of uncultivable lands or on farming operations of land owners, after exhausting the implementation of community works like nistari tanks, kutchha approach roads, plantation or its maintenance etc. productively and solving the shortage of labour force in the countryside as was being badly felt and articulated with no results till recently unfortunately.

The same PM and his government is forced to continue the exercise and increase the number of working days from 100 to 150 days, with no alternative perhaps, as argued by Harsh Mander. If deprivation or impoverishment is to be met, then MNREGA is no solution. Some other social welfare measure would be the apt solution.

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