“Group Measurement” of NREGA work-- The Jalore Experiment

Rajasthan is seen as the forerunner with respect to the implementation of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), both in terms of scale of works and transparency safeguards. This combination has meant that large numbers of people have benefited from the NREGA in the state. The scale of NREGA works in Rajasthan is impressive -- according to official statistics, in 2006-7 and 2007-8 Rajasthan generated 77 days and 68 days, respectively, of employment per rural household (in the districts where NREGA was in force), the highest in the country. More recently, there have been positive reports of Rajasthan’s efforts to improve worksite management. Proper worksite management is essential for at least three purpose -- ensuring good working conditions and the provision of mandatory worksite facilities ; implementing the transparency safeguards; providing technical supervision to ensure satisfactory labour productivity and asset creation. Related to effective worksite management, an important issue that has not been resolved yet is that often NREGA labourers in Rajasthan are not paid the statutory minimum wage. Low wages are commonly attributed to low productivity on worksites. This means that labourers do not (or are unable to) perform the “task” required to earn the minimum wage. There could be several reasons for this -- excessive productivity norms, confusion or lack of awareness regarding the task that must be performed to earn the minimum wage, poor worksite supervision arrangements, and poor work incentives related to the system of wage calculation. This brief note takes a closer look at an experiment of training mates (worksite supervisors) in Rajasthan to improve worksite management. It is based on a four-day field visit (11-14 February, 2008) to Jalore district where this experiment is said to have been a success. A team of three researchers visited nine ongoing worksites from two blocks of Jalore (Raniwara and Jalore) and two completed worksites. The Gram Panchayats (GPs) visited include Bakra Road (one worksite), Leta (two worksites), Oon (one worksite) and Sankarna (three worksites) in Jalore Block. For this Block we got a list of Gram Panchayats with ongoing works. From this list, we selected Bakra Road and Sankarna because they were served by buses and Leta and Oon because these were accessible by bicycle. The closest Gram Panchayat was Leta (6 km from Jalore district headquarters) and the furthest was Bakra Road (about 25 km away). We also visited two GPs in Raniwara Block on the recommendation of the District Collector and Block Development Officer.

TRENDS IN DIVERSION OF PDS GRAIN

This article estimates the proportion of grain "diverted" from the Public Distribution System (PDS) to the open market for several years in the past decade, by matching state offtake figures published by the government, with household purchase reported by the National Sample Survey (NSS). The limitations of this methodology are discussed, and alternative estimates are presented to crosscheck estimates obtained by using the conventional method. Though the alternative estimates are not very different, the discussion here indicates that estimates of diversion must be treated as an upper-bound. At the all-India level diversion of grain remains a serious issue, however, state-level trends reveal interesting contrasts. Based on contrasting trends in monthly PDS purchase (per capita) and estimated diversion, states are categorized into three groups - "functioning", "reforming" and "languishing" states. The paper also discusses possible reasons for the improvement in the PDS in the reforming states.

Aadhaar: Uniquely Indian Dystopia?

On 28 January 2009, the Government of India constituted the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) through a Gazette notification. The main aim was to "generate and assign UID to residents", where UID refers to "Unique Identity". The brand name "Aadhaar" (meaning "foundation" in some Indian languages) and a logo followed. The Aadhaar project came to be seen as one of the flagship schemes of the second United Progressive Alliance (UPA-2) government (2009-2014)

India's Public Distribution System: Utilisation and Impact

This article studies the effectiveness of India's Public Distribution System (PDS) as a food security intervention, using field survey data collected by the author in Rajasthan. Utilisation is low, and many households purchase wheat from the market at higher prices before exhausting PDS quotas. This 'puzzle of under-purchase' is analysed by extending the dual-pricing model to account for supply-side (for example, diversion) and demand-side (for example, transaction costs) constraints. Primary and secondary data as well as field observations suggest that under-purchase is mainly due to supply constraints. I also find that the PDS affects the composition (away from more nutritious 'coarse cereals'), rather than level, of cereal consumption.

Trends in Diversion of PDS Grain

This article estimates the proportion of grain "diverted" from the Public Distribution System (PDS) to the open market, using the well-established method of matching state offtake figures published by the government, with household purchase reported by the NSS. The limitations of this methodological are discussed, and alternative estimates are presented. [Working paper no. 198]. URL: [http://www.cdedse.org/]grain, PDS, public distribution system, government, household, purchase, NSS, methodological, open market, transportation, poor storage, wheat, rice, food, civil supplies, population

“Group Measurement” of NREGA work: The Jalore Experiment

The paper takes a closer look at an experiment of NREGA training mates (worksite supervisors) in Rajasthan to improve worksite management. It is based on a four-day field visit (11-14 February, 2008) to Jalore district where this experiment is said to have been a success. A team of three researchers visited nine ongoing worksites from two blocks of Jalore (Raniwara and Jalore) and two completed worksites. [CDE WP 180].NREGA, Gram Panchayats (GPs), wage payment system, Rajasthan, Jalore district, researchers, worksite management, minimum wage, labourers, Government, Productivity, India

Women Workers and perceptions of the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, India

The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, which entitles rural households to 100 days of casual employment on public works at the statutory minimum wage, contains special provisions to ensure full participation of women. This paper, based on fieldwork in six states in 2008, examines the socio-economic consequences of the NREGA for women workers. In spite of the drawbacks in the implementation of the legislation, significant benefits have already started accruing to women through better access to local employment, at minimum wages, with relatively decent and safe work conditions. The paper also discusses barriers to women’s participation