Old Age No Bar, Work As Monitor
Posted : November 26, 2006 at 8:33 pm [IST]
National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme
Indira Awaas Yojana
Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana
Sampoorna Grameen Rozgar Yojana
Pradhanmantri Gram Sadak Yojana
Accelerated Rural Water Supply Programme
Total Sanitation Campaign
Have you come across these scheme, yojna, programme, and campaign to bring about some revolutionary change in quality of life of the people living there? But until now, people at large are skeptical about its effectiveness. Will the corrupt machinery of government servants and elected bodies allow the intended benefits to reach the real needy ones?
The Union ministry of rural development, responsible for these projects, has decided on a scheme to utilize the services of retired services personnel and former bureaucrats to monitor the government’s flagship welfare programme-the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme. NREG if properly implemented can take most of the rural poor households out from BPL (Below Poverty Line). Simultaneously, it can also build huge lot of permanent assets such as water bodies, roads, and plantations for rural India. 200 National Level Monitors (NLMS) from among retired defence personnel and former bureaucrats will visit specified districts in far-flung regions and report about the work going under the NREG scheme. 200 NLMS are already helping in monitoring other welfare programmes. NLMS don’t get a fixed salary but are paid a daily allowance, with all expenses covered.
The monitors, usually in batches of eight, visit remote districts once in four months and submit a report to the state and Centre. Rural development minister Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is expected to hold meetings with the monitors to understand their assessment of the programmes..
In the districts, NLMS inspect whether the selection procedure of beneficiaries is above board. Any deviations in the implementation of the scheme are reported. For instance, the inspectors have to examine whether muster rolls for the NREGs have been properly maintained. They also have to assess and rate the programme in a particular region.
Nitish Kumar, Chief Minister Bihar has already tried successfully the services of retired Central Bureau of Investigation by appointing them to strengthen the state vigilance department. As reported, it has helped significantly in improving the law and order situation of Bihar in recent time.
Huge human resources are available all over the country that with their years of training and experiences can help in different areas, particularly in education at grassroots level or even in higher education. Somehow, many very able and efficient physically fit people get discarded because of a system that makes one retire at a fixed age. It is left to their own initiatives if they find some useful engagement.
Others can emulate initiatives of Bihar CM and Rural development minister, Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. Age is not barrier. Person such as E. Sreedharan at 74 is proving that by bringing in a Metro revolution in New Delhi and a metromania in the whole country.
However, I am of strong opinion that media must take responsibility for reporting on the work going under different rural development schemes with the stories of achievements of significance and those of blatant failures too. Simultaneously, the huge number of management schools in India must take interest in rural development by assigning students to work on these projects.
- Indra
Category: Rural development |
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