NREGA gets monitoring body at last

The ministry of rural development is at the receiving end of criticism for holding in abeyance for a year the Employment Guarantee Council set up under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act.

When the Council was convened yesterday after a year's inactivity, some members pointed to this and other failiures to enforce the mandate provided under the Act.

Jean Dreze and Aruna Roy noted the Council not being convened for a year was against the law. They also pointed out that the Council was given powers to monitor the programme, besides sending annual reports to Parliament. The Council, they noted, has been convened just eight times in four years.

Union rural development minister C P Joshi acknowledged the points and agreed with the need to activate the body in line with the law.

A senior ministry official told Business Standard today that there was no conflict between the ministry and the council. Some members are asking for executive powers for the council, whereas it is an advisory body, he said.

Dreze, Roy and the others also made a written representation on their points. Dreze told Business Standard the law was clear and was not being implemented. "The duties of the Council as per the Act have not been performed so far. Speaking for myself, that is my main concern,'' he said.

The NREGA says the Council is to establish a central evaluation and monitoring system, advise the central government on all matters concerning implementation of the Act, review the monitoring and redressal mechanism from time to time and recommend improvements and prepare annual reports to be tabled in Parliament. It shall also have powers to undertake evaluation of the various schemes made under the NREGA .