Save MGNREGA, don't drown it in paperwork

The government seems to have woken up to the bureaucratic clutter that has bogged down the flagship Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), with the rural development ministry preparing a draft "master circular" to facilitate the scheme's implementation, which would supercede the mind-boggling 1038-odd advisories and circulars related to the scheme issued so far.

The over 40-page long draft circular, which is being discussed with states and will be finalised soon, has been prepared to overcome the "confusion" in the field created by the vast number of existing circulars. Confusion, however, is perhaps an understatement for the muddle that has been created on the ground by the frequent instructions and tweaks made by the Centre.

The ministry, both under previous UPA governments, and the current NDA regime, has regularly issued advisories related to the MGNREGA - which promises 100 days of employment each year to every rural household - in order to guide states in its implementation. It has also constantly altered the parameters of the scheme by converging it with other programmes, bringing in a range of technological initiatives and adding several layers of functionaries.

However, in the process, the scheme has become convoluted, making its implementation even more complex. This is not to say that none of the initiatives made have helped iron out creases in the scheme. But several of the alterations have meant adding more bureaucratic levels and parallel systems to the scheme.

While the ministry's intent - of preparing a concise, all-encompassing document to replace the several circulars issued so far is well-meaning - the exercise in itself becomes self-defeating with such an exhaustive and lengthy document. More importantly, it also points towards the highly centralised nature of the scheme's implementation and the top-down approach that is adopted. This is ironic given that the greatest stakeholder in its functioning and planning is the local tier of governance - the panchayat.

It is also imperative to emphasise that the scheme has suffered from serious implementation loopholes, including huge delays in wage payments, poor quality of assets created, ghost beneficiaries, inadequate planning of works and inability to deliver the promised 100 days of employment, to name a few. Issuing advisories and circulars, or preparing an annual "master circular" for that matter, is not going to address these concerns. While these documents state how the scheme should be implemented and lay down procedures and stipulations, they can do little to ensure that all these are actually adhered to. What is needed is not more paperwork for the scheme, particularly since the Act is fairly exhaustive and well laid out, but effective mechanisms that would streamline implementation and make sure that everything the legislation promises is actually delivered.