National

A Rural Dream?

AP has managed to notch up only 28.1 wage days per family per year as an average -- and this is meant to be a model state! But the question still is: will the scheme last?

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A Rural Dream?
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A look at the faces of villagers in Chinnapongupalli, a remote village in Chittoor district, queuing up for the day’s work with their grimy post office passbooks in hand, hints at a quiet empowermentrevolution under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS). Thisbunch of men and women let their spades and crowbars do the talking in thesearing heat as they dig up a percolation tank. Each of them is paid about Rs 70 a day. It might be half of what they used to earn working in Bangalore and Yelahanka laying cable lines, laying bricks at construction sites or plucking mangoes atorchards but, as T Venkatarayappa puts it, "this is home and thanks to this, we have the dignity of sleeping under our own roofs."

Venkatarayappa, Bayareddy, Gangaratnamma, Mangamma have for years been migrating to neighbouring Karnataka in search of livelihood. Bayareddy used to come home just once a year spending the rest of his days at construction sites, market mandis in Kolar district orBangalore. If the scheme is able to provide employment for more days in a year,migration might just come to a screeching halt in neighbouring mandals as well.

Curbing migration seems to be the scheme’s strongest point, at least in Chittoor, which is the best performing district in AP followed closely by Kadapa and Anantapur.. The wages are slightly higher in Reddivaripally where labourers work on a feeder channel. They make close to Rs 100 a day. Again in Chandrayanpalli, Hyder Wali, Manjula Venkatamma and Nanjamma digging a sunken pit say they earn Rs 90 per day by putting in eight hours of work. Wali says the payments differ as they switch jobs but his biggest high is the passbook, which he feels is a symbol that he is no longer poor.

The benefits are more tangible in Sompally where people talk of economic changes in their lives brought by the APREGS (Andhra Pradesh Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme). P Govind and his family have earned Rs 25,000 in about six months. He’s bought a motorbike with his earnings. S Kaivaram paid off a loan of Rs 10,000 that she incurred for her daughter’s marriage. "I’ve even bought an almirah," she says. The amounts vary as do the inspirational accounts. There’s R Ramakrishna who has set up a tea shop and there’s Syed Saab who is now able to send his grandson to an engineering college. There is also G Reddyamma who used to work in sugarcane fields in Karnataka or at construction sites in Bangalore. "We had to migrate for three-four months and even sell our livestock." Reddyamma says the most important change is that she can now educate her children because they stay put at one place. 

But these are perhaps happy exceptions. The APREGS aims for at least 100 days of employment per family, equal wages for men and women, avoiding contractors and machines, taking up only those works approved by the gram panchayats(read: not politicians), wage payments no later than two weeks. But APREGS director A Murali admits thatthe state has managed to notch up only 28.1 wage days per family as an average in thestate. He points to starting problems like issuance of job cards, identifying wage seekers, works and more importantly keeping out contractors altogether.

Chittoor leads with average wage days of 39.2 per family followed by Kadapa, 36.93 and Anantapur, 36.02. Warangal and Nalgonda have notched up a poor average of 20.42 and 20.75 average wage days respectively. But Murali is optimistic. "We hope to touch an average of 50 days by the year end," he says. AP is currently implementing the scheme in 13 districts and will add nine more from May.

Where AP does steal a march over other states is in its use of an APREGS software developed by TCS. This software, updated every fortnight gives out every minute detail of the scheme like job cards issued, names, employment provided, progress of works, money spent so far, wages paid -- right from the village to district level. The data is compiled at every mandal and is updated at Hyderabad by TCS. Hence, total transparency of the scheme is ensured and the question of money laundering does not arise. Incidentally, TCS does this job as part of its corporate social responsibility, free.

At a mandal parishad office in Mulakalacheruvu in Chittoor, some elected parishad representatives gather to hurl threats at Project Director L Murali. "Why are we not given the right to decide works and take decisions about thescheme?," they ask. And therein lies the job scheme’s strongest point. The money goes directly to thelabourers. Self-anointed local leaders are given the short shrift. Grassroots at last.

The average wage rate in AP is Rs 82, which is quite impressive, claims the project director who announces to some tired workers at Morumpalli village a 20% wage hike for the dry season."Thanks to the APREGS, there is pressure now on rich farmers and landlords to pay their labourers more wages," says he.AP has spent Rs 501 crore so far on the scheme which is way below the planned expenditure. The State aims to spend Rs 100 crore more in the next two months.

Social auditing is also an integral part of the APREGS. Field assistants who assist gram panchayats in identifying wage seekers and act as a link between the State and the villagers are accountable too. A team of 12 members including village level voluntary workers carry out surveys every four-six months and point out lapses.

APREGS banks heavily on land works like de-silting of tanks, digging sunken pits, farm ponds, feeder channels, bunding, contour trenches, percolation tanks, diversion drains etc.Since the scheme is currently being implemented in all nine districts of Telangana where droughts are common, several critics question the wisdom of taking up watershed works on such a large scale when there is no proper rainfall for years. The project director of Chittoor however begs to differ. Groundwater recharging will happen over a period of time. Twin benefits of improved water availability and rural empowerment will ensue, he says.

BCs and SCs are also allowed to take up horticulture in their lands as part of APREGS. The cost of seeds and irrigation are taken care of. But the big question in all minds is: Will the scheme last? A job at home is something the rural populacecould get easily used to. The labourers don’t want these goodies, few and farbetween though they are, snatched away. They obviously want employment for moredays than the abysmal averages. P Chinnamaniappa, a BC farmer from Eturupalli village says his family of five has earned Rs 15,000 through the APREGS. "We bought a cow worth Rs 8,000. Our lives are so good now. Will you tell the people behind this scheme to continue it not just for 100 days but throughout the year?" 

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There’s a rural dream for you.

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