Click to play videoNew Delhi: The benefits of 100 days employment have not reached 97% of the country's common man. The rural employment guarantee act is a failure according to a report of the Comptroller and Auditor General.
The National Rural Employment Guarantee Act is turning the wrong way for the government and it's this report that's revealed all the cracks in the flagship project of the UPA.
According to the Comptroller and Auditor General, 97% of households in India did not receive the 100 days of employment under NREGA that was promised across India. Across India people are not receiving promised job cards or wages on time. Non-appointment of full time officers has led to a breakdown of the dream scheme for the aam admi and money from the scheme has been diverted to NGOs and other implementing agencies.
With elections due anytime now, the CAG report on NREGA has turned out to be the UPA government's worst nightmare and for the dream scheme for the aam admi to live up to it's promise the government needs to ensure that it's not caught in rules and corruption.
Though the Rural Development Minister believes that not all is lost.
"It's not a failure, it's wrong if someone says it's a failure. So many people and the entire country is involved. It will take time to implement this and spread awareness,” says Raghuvansh Prasad Singh, Rural Development Minister.
NREGA has led to an increase in minimum wages and often for the same amount of money daily labourers have to perform less work. Gujarat is the lowest at Rs 50 per day and the maximum in Kerala at Rs 125 per day. Nagaland sees the maximum increase to Rs 100 from Rs 66 per day. However, in West Bengal, women need to perform 15 per cent less quantum of output than their male counterparts to earn the same wage.
"The rise in wage rates tends to support that. If in my existing occupation I am getting more money, then it just means that I can earn the same amount of income that I was earning earlier with less labour and time so that it releases time for me to try some other activity. This way one can diversify sources of income," says Dr Pronab Sen, Chief Statistician of India.
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