Barefoot engineers to ensure quality in development
Planning Commission says a trained, local team can meet technical skills deficit in MGNREGP
The Planning Commission has suggested creating a pool of local 'barefoot' engineers in the 12th Five Year Plan period to address the lack of technical capability in the villages resulting in creation of poor quality assets under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (MGNREGP).
“There is a clear case for establishing a pool of local barefoot engineers, who could be trained through an appropriate mechanism, enabling them to fulfill the need for technical and managerial capacity in MGNREGP, as well as in other rural infrastructure projects,” the Planning Commission noted in the Plan’s draft approach paper.
Ever since the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance Government in February 2006 launched National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme - later rechristened after Mahatma Gandhi – to provide livelihood security to millions in the villages, it emerged as one of the flagship schemes in the social sector. The MGNREGP provided employment to 5.47 crore households in 2010-11 at a total expenditure of about Rs 39,000 crore. The Government earmarked Rs 40,000 crore for the MGNREGP in the 2011-12 budget, with 2.84 crore households already being provided employment.
Though the scheme did win political dividends for the Congress-led UPA in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls, the policymakers were concerned about its patchy implementation across the country.
The Plan panel noted that the “technical soundness of the design and quality of works undertaken through MGNREGP” fell short of what was needed “to ensure land productivity enhancement”.
The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act primarily enhances livelihood security of the poor households and legally guarantees 100 days of supplementary wage employment. The programme, however, was also intended to create durable assets and strengthen livelihood resource base.
Social mobilisers
The Ministry of Rural Development in May, 2010 issued circulars to the State Governments asking them to ensure at least two engineers for every 6,000 population of rural households in the plains and 3,000 in the hilly areas. Sources in MoRD said that the circular had changed little on the ground and the programme continued to suffer due to lack of technical persons in a large number of states, although Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra had taken certain initiatives to correct it. “The lack of technical personnel at various levels of implementation has sometimes resulted in creation of sub-standard and non-durable assets,” the MoRD stated in written reply to a query from the parliamentary Standing Committee on Rural Development.
The plan panel suggested that the technical capacity at the local level needed to be significantly enhanced in regard to planning, design and quality of works.
The draft approach paper stressed on the need to get the needs, aspiration and priorities of the local people reflected in the selection of works to ensure that the communities have a sense of ownership over the projects. “The training of a pool of local youth in technical skills must also incorporate their ability to act as social mobilisers,” the Planning Commission contended, emphasising on ensuring the involvement of Panchayati Raj representatives at every level.
“They would be guided in this process by a dedicated team of technical professionals at each cluster of around 30 villages.”
