Travelling through drought-hit Marathwada, in village after village we came across complaints of little or no NREGA work.
Highlights
- Villagers in drought hit Marathwada say there's 'little or no NREGA work'
- Govt had said NREGA work in drought-hit states was increased to 150 days
- Govt released 12,000 crores but 8000 crores to go in pending wages
As thousands of villages in the country come under the grip of drought, the role of the government's flagship work guarantee scheme, NREGA or National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, becomes crucial.
In January, the Union government told the Supreme Court that for all drought-hit states, NREGA's 100-day limit has been increased to 150 days.
But travelling this week through Marathwada in Maharashtra, the country's drought central, in village after village we came across complaints of little or no NREGA work.
In Yenagur village of Osmanabad district, farmers standing next to ruined crops said Panchayat members have given in writing that they will not implement NREGA.
Part of this disconnect may be because of the Centre's stalling over financial action to back its promises over NREGA. The government told the court that the "budgeted amount for the additional days' work has already been released to the states."
But there appears to be no indication of where this extra is meant to come from. "There is absolutely nothing that has been released for the drought. All the money that has been released is regular money for NREGA and it is nowhere near enough," says Nikhil Dey from Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan, an activist group that closely tracks NREGA.
In fact, NREGA website shows that the government owes 13 drought-affected states more than Rs 5,900 crores for the previous year.
Under pressure, the Centre last week issued a release promising an immediate Rs 12,000 crores for NREGA, which it said ought to take care of pending wage dues as well as payments for the coming year.
But this too may be creative accounting. Of the Rs 12,000 crores, Rs. 8,000 crores will get used for paying pending wages, leaving state governments with only Rs. 4,000 crores to pay for wages during the drought period.
This, according to its own rules, is a pittance of what it is meant to advance.
NREGA guidelines require the Centre to clear all previous dues at the start of the year, as well as release 50% of this year's labour budget for NREGA as an advance tranche. Conservative estimates put that figure at Rs 40,000 crores, three times more than what has been promised.
It is no surprise, then, that with limited money in the hands of the states, no work is trickling down to households in drought-hit zones.
Repeated attempts to contact the Rural Development Minister were unsuccessful.
BJP National Vice President Vinay Sahasrabuddhe justifies these low figures by explaining how the focus of NREGA is now being diverted more for creating assets. Earlier, he says, work was provided to whoever demanded it, without assessing its productivity.
In Yenagur village they told us if "today farmers struggle, tomorrow it will be the rest of the country."