Introduction

Author(s):  
Rob Jenkins ◽  
James Manor

This chapter provides an overview of the book's analytical focus, conceptual approach, main arguments, and research process. It introduces the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (NREGA), which was part of a raft of rights-based development legislation passed by the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) that governed India from 2004-2014. NREGA was central to the Indian state's efforts to upgrade the country's relatively thin social welfare provision to something more in keeping with its growing economic and political profile. Six central contentions are outlined, each with a brief explanation. The chapter also justifies the book's approach to concepts such as institutions, poverty, and politics, and introduces the components of what the authors call “political capacity”. Elements of the research process – including information on the key case study states of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh – are also discussed, and the organization of the remainder of the book, including a chapter outline, is presented.

2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sudhir Maske

National Rural Employment Grantee Act (NREGA) is one of the progressive and transformative legislation passed by Indian Parliament in the year of 2005 by UPA government for ensuring employment guarantee and livelihood security to each rural household. In year 2007 it is renamed as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The fundamental goal of this right based policy initiative is to provide employment guarantee and promote infrastructural development in the villages for the well-being rural household, it has also been considered as an integrated approach for rural poverty eradication and sustainable development. Since, nine years MGNREGA is being implemented in all 623 districts of the country, but it has not shown the result which had been expected and even put forward in MGNREGA objectives. Most of the evaluation studies shown that the scheme is not working properly at ground level because of its poor implementation. There are many issues and challenges are coming up in its implementation. It is observed that very few states like Andhra Pardesh, Rajasthan, etc. where programme is being implemented in successive mode. Maharashtra state is mile stone in MGREGA, the origin Of EGS scheme is a backbone of this act. In 1974, the Maharashtra state government had started Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and it was put into operation for entire year. At present the previous employment guarantee scheme has merged into MGNREGA guideline issued by the central government. Though the state has reach experience of EGS implementation, but the present merged MGNREGA programme is not working properly at ground level. There are many issues are coming up in its implementation process which are caused by different factors such as demand of work, identification of work site and planning, complicated administrative structure with less competent staff, delay in payment, lack of human resources. The author has made an attempt to analyze these factors based on case study of two villages, named Kashod Shivpur and Bhilkhed in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. FGD and interview schedule was used for data collection. This paper also trying to highlights if the act has implemented with spirit and commitment how it can help to regenerate the village resources to achieve the prime goals of sustainable development.


GIS Business ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 48-49
Author(s):  
Sudhir Maske

National Rural Employment Grantee Act (NREGA) is one of the progressive and transformative legislation passed by Indian Parliament in the year of 2005 by UPA government for ensuring employment guarantee and livelihood security to each rural household. In year 2007 it is renamed as Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The fundamental goal of this right based policy initiative is to provide employment guarantee and promote infrastructural development in the villages for the well-being rural household, it has also been considered as an integrated approach for rural poverty eradication and sustainable development. Since, nine years MGNREGA is being implemented in all 623 districts of the country, but it has not shown the result which had been expected and even put forward in MGNREGA objectives. Most of the evaluation studies shown that the scheme is not working properly at ground level because of its poor implementation. There are many issues and challenges are coming up in its implementation. It is observed that very few states like Andhra Pardesh, Rajasthan, etc. where programme is being implemented in successive mode. Maharashtra state is mile stone in MGREGA, the origin Of EGS scheme is a backbone of this act. In 1974, the Maharashtra state government had started Employment Guarantee Scheme (EGS) and it was put into operation for entire year. At present the previous employment guarantee scheme has merged into MGNREGA guideline issued by the central government. Though the state has reach experience of EGS implementation, but the present merged MGNREGA programme is not working properly at ground level. There are many issues are coming up in its implementation process which are caused by different factors such as demand of work, identification of work site and planning, complicated administrative structure with less competent staff, delay in payment, lack of human resources. The author has made an attempt to analyze these factors based on case study of two villages, named Kashod Shivpur and Bhilkhed in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. FGD and interview schedule was used for data collection. This paper also trying to highlights if the act has implemented with spirit and commitment how it can help to regenerate the village resources to achieve the prime goals of sustainable development.


Author(s):  
Rob Jenkins ◽  
James Manor

This chapter assesses the positive political impacts of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 (NREGA) on poor and marginalized people. Two types of impacts are distinguished: those stemming primarily from the material benefits derived by NREGA workers (increased incomes, less dependence on elites), and those that contribute to their “political capacity”, the severe shortage of which has constituted an important dimension of their “poverty”.The authors define political capacity as an amalgam of political awareness, confidence, skills and connections. To advance these claims, the chapter discusses the uses to which laborers put their wages, NREGA's impact on distress migration by poor people, the gains made by women, examples of unusual alliances through participation in NREGA works, and the political implications of all of these processes.


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