National Rural Employment Guarantee as Social Protection

This article is an attempt to highlight issues around the implementation of NREGA with a focus on its institutions, governance and innovations. The main proposition considered is that institutions and governance play an important role in determining the functioning of NREGA, and the trajectory of its success. The attempt is to identify the conditions for success (or failure) in the process, to draw lessons for mid?course corrections to the programme. This includes examining political, administrative and bureaucratic dynamics that may ensure better realisation of the ‘right to work’. Based on a field study in three Indian states, it was found that differential impacts and achievements of the NREGA are related to variations in the commitment of local leadership, levels of institutional preparedness and governance capacities. The experience of these states offers certain insights which may help improve implementation policy of the NREGA

Food Security in India: Performance, challenges and policies

More people in South Asia are facing malnutrition than in Africa. This working paper examines established policies that affect food security measures in India. With employment programmes such as NREGS, government programmes such as TPDS including AAY, nutrition programmes like mid-day meals, and ICDS to improve food and nutrition security, this paper argues that India still requires plans to increase employment and social security for poor people. It explores the gaps in these varied government food security laws and programmes which still leave one third of India's population lacking in basic diet diversification (including micronutrients); in women's empowerment; in education; in health promotion; in safe drinking water and sanitation; and in the provision of basic hygiene