No guaranteed work under NREGA to Gujarat's rural job seekers, complain state activists

Evidence from the ground has suggested that, in most of Gujarat’s districts, work under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) is virtually on a standstill for about six months. Responding to information with Counterview that the Gujarat officialdom has not allocated any under NREGA since October 1980, NGOs working on livelihood issues with rural poor confirmed that there is no work in “80 per cent of the locations even though people show job cards to do work.”
The information has trickled close on the heels of a top National Sample Survey (NSS) report, which says that in 29.2 per cent of cases in Gujarat rural people sought work under NREGA but were not allocated. This is against the national average of 18.8 per cent refusal (click HERE to read).
A flagship programme of the ex-Congress-led UPA rule at the Centre, the Narendra Modi regime which came to power in May 2014 first tried to whittle down NREGA, but when there was widespread resentment, it backtracked and even declared, in the last budget, that it would raise the total allocation for NREGA by Rs 5,000 crore if such a need such arose.
According to complaints from rural activists in Gujarat, several major reasons are being forwarded for “withdrawal” from NREGA. These include lack of funds, lack of staff to monitor NREGA work, and lack of clarity on whether to continue with NREGA. A senior activist, speaking anonymously, said, “At least half-a-dozen district development officers have told me that there is no work under NREGA.”
Quoting a senior government official who directly deals with NREGA, this activist said, as of October 2015, the Gujarat government had just Rs 17 crore at its disposal for NREGA works. “What is Rs 17 crore? The whole fund is enough for just 17 days”, the official was quoted as saying.
Then, this activist pointed out, as against the required staff strength of 8,000, needed to monitor NREGA, there aren’t more than 5,000 working, as a result of which work cannot be allocated. “If at all, only labour work, which requires no equipment and machinery, is being allocated, because equipment and machinery would cost extra”, he said.
The activist alleged, in some areas of Sabarkantha district, especially in Vijaynagar and Khedbrahma areas, a case is going on against corruption under NREGA, and the officialdom has stopped all work declaring the matter is “sub judice.” He commented, “There is no provision in the NREGA that no work would be given if there are charges of corruption.”
When contacted, Paulomee Mistry, who runs a tribal organization in several of Gujarat’s districts, particularly Banaskantha, Sabarkathna, Panchmahals and Dahod, told Counterview, “Officials allow NREGA work only when we put pressure, as it happened recently in Idar. Otherwise they are not interested in NREGA. We are running a campaign, under which 20,000 postcards have been sent to Prime Minister Narendra Modi protesting against the withdrawal from NREGA.”
A senior Gujarat government official sought to deny that there was any withdrawal from NREGA in Gujarat. “In all 50,000 workers are working under NREGA right now”, claimed this official, though refused to come on record. He added, “There are clearcut guidelines to give only agriculture-related work, hence work involving equipment and machinery is not being allocated under NREGA. We have no funds problems, either. We have Rs 500 crore allocated in the present budget.”
Even as contending that work under NREGA “cannot be denied under the law” and every name is being “electronically fed” and money transferred to the bank accounts directly, when asked how many people were employed previously under NREGA and if numbers have come down, this official refused to give any information.

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.

Search This Blog