Gender issues
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The Information was collected as follows:
The survey was conducted on the basis of a common questionnaire translated into the 4 regional languages. The household survey included questions on the household (members, gender, education, employment, debt, assets, migration, etc.); awareness and experience with NREGS in terms of job cards, registration, work, etc. The worksite questionnaire probed details like facilities, wages, muster rolls, mode of payment, work organization, use of machinery, contractors, etc. and information on the level of awareness about the NREGA as well as experience with earlier wage employment programmes and preferred mode of payment. Government functionaries responsible for implementation were interviewed, including all BDOs and most DMs. These formats dealt largely with difficulties faced by the administration-staffing, finances, etc. Questionnaires for Elected Panchayat Representatives were on planning, organization of work, technical support, issue of work orders, etc. See appendix for full questionnaires. II. STATE SCHEMES West BengalWest Bengal notified its state scheme on the 2nd February 2006. The State Employment Guarantee Council has not been constituted yet but is due shortly. In the Scheme, BDOs have been designated as Programme Officers and Collectors are District Programme Co-ordinators. Mobilization and RegistrationThe household is not defined as a nuclear family in accordance with the NOG and the common kitchen definition is used. The Scheme allows the PO to waive the requirement for photographs if the circumstances require, and a Campaign is to be held for registration by setting up village camps to mobilize and assist applicants. The Census system of coding for unique household IDs is to be followed. The Scheme suggests that voter IDs or ration cards may be used for ease in verification. There is no provision for individual cards, only for individual ID numbers. The Scheme encourages the Gram Panchayat, Gram Unnayan Samiti, NGOs, Self Help Groups and community based organizations to mobilize advance applications, if required, through a “a door-to-door campaign.” For employment beyond 5 kms, women and older persons should be given preference in closer sites and the implementing agency shall make makeshift staying arrangements in worksites beyond 5 kilometers. Planning The greatest strength of the West Bengal Scheme lies in its attention to planning and implementation details, worked out in a practical, strategic and simple manner. There is a great deal of administrative forethought. There is focus on integrated local area planning through convergence and dovetailing with other Schemes and programmes. Gram Panchayat are to lead in the identification, prioritization and planning of works with technical support from the PO and DPC. At the same time, other implementing agencies are encouraged to prepare proposals that are broken up at the Gram Panchayat level. The GP has the principal voice in selection and prioritization of works. The attempt is to use existing local and village institutions which are already active and equipped in the State . The Gram Unnayan Samiti or beneficiary Committees are authorized to undertake social audit, monitoring and evaluation as per the NREGA.The role of the Livelihood Development Officer, the Executive Assistant, Nirman Sahayak/Job Assistant, Secretary of the Gram Panchayat and other staff is clearly worked out. In anticipation of the huge requirement for technical staff, the Scheme works out delegation of some technical powers to the Nirman Sahayak.The State intends to take forward decentralized planned development through the WBREGS. The list of permissible works has been well laid out and expanded to cover whatever space exists within the Act. The watershed approach is to be adopted for all works to the extent practicable, and districts are encouraged to prepare detailed plans in a decentralized fashion. Durable community assets like playgrounds, village markets, housing layouts are permitted, as are works that enhance water retention in private tanks, provided these are used for community purposes, which will be verified by the Gram Panchayat. Unemployment Allowance However, in 10(2), there is a clear conflict between the creation of durable physical assets through earthworks and a demand driven employment guarantee programme: “The Gram Panchayat shall except in extraordinary circumstances such as high rainfall, floods, water logging and other natural calamities to the extent that earthwork related employment cannot be provided in large quantity, be responsible for issuing letter informing allotment of work...” It is perhaps the narrowly defined list of works that effectively limits the programme in much of this high rainfall state during the monsoons. A further indication of dilution of the guarantee in the rainy season is 8(a) which allows the liability to pay unemployment allowance to cease under these circumstances. BDOs are extremely wary of encouraging applications or implementing the unemployment clause since they consider 11 (5) as a veiled threat for disciplinary action if there is non-provision of employment. “In all cases where unemployment allowance is due to be paid, the Programme Officer shall inform the District Programme Coordinator in writing the reasons why it was not possible to provide employment to the applicant within eleven days of receiving application. The District Programme Coordinator shall in turn bring this to the notice of the State Government along with the reasons. The State Government would then examine this and if the reasons are not satisfactory the State Government may initiate suitable action against the defaulters.” WagesSection 19 clearly states that minimum wages shall be paid, but Section 19 puts a rider to this: “However, the labourers shall be expected to turnout the quantity of work required as per the existing schedule of rates. When the quantity of work turned out by the labourers /group of labourers is more than the quantity of work calculated as per the minimum wages payable to them, then the wages shall be directly linked with the quantity of work done, calculated as per the schedule of rates and the higher wages shall be paid accordingly. Similarly lower quantum of work will lead to payment of proportionately lower wage.” It is better to bring this in conformity with the Act and clearly state that under no circumstances shall the labourers be paid less than the wage rate, and towards this the schedule of rates of wages for unskilled labourers shall be so fixed that a person working for seven hours would normally earn the wage rate. A very good provision is that “In no case the private individuals be engaged as the paymasters.” |