Implement NREGA properly, transparently: Joshi

"State governments on their part should ensure the scheme runs properly and transparently so that it fully benefits the rural poor," Union rural development minister C P Joshi has said in July's news letter of his ministry.

The Union Minister said it is important that panchayati raj institutions (PRI) are effectively enabled to govern the scheme.

"For the potential of NREGA to be fully realised, major interventions are required to enable panchayats to achieve economic development and social justice in their areas," he suggested.

Joshi, however, said strict monitoring of the performance by PRIs against 'specific outcomes' should be ensured.

Greater convergence is also required across departments and programmes with NREGA so that sustainable livelihoods can be created, he added.

Joshi said some of the principles, such as accountability to PRIs, stakeholder participation and social audit, are inherent in the NREGA architechture. "But they are yet to be effectively put into place," he pointed out.

In the news letter Joshi said, social audit of works done under NREGA has not been properly conducted in several places.

Vigilance monitoring committees has also not been constituted in all gram panchayats and "even where it exists, they are not in a satisfactory form", he added.

Joshi said there is need to bring about a convergence of child care, nutrition, health and education programmes at NREGA sites".

Maintaining that NREGA has the potential to provide a 'big push' in regions where there is distress, he said it has curbed rural to urban migration, improved food security, generated employment with dignity, brought about the economic empowerment of women and created sustainable assets.