Commissioning articles on NREGS

Dear Friends,

Pipal Tree through its print-media programme, The Transforming Word, is inviting Kannada journalists (working or freelancers) to write on the following aspects of National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS):

1. Food security and Nregs:

The focus on regenerating the water bodies, improving the lakes and ponds, creation of check dams and repair of canals will directly help the farmers in improving their agricultural production. The development of the small holdings of dalits, tribals and other marginal farmers will add to increased food production among the poorest sections of the rural population.

2. Impact on livelihood:

By providing employment opportunities during the lean summer season the Nregs has offered a lifeline to the rural poor. The provision for developing the agricultural lands of dalit, tribal and other marginal farmers has provided a tool to these poor sections to improve their livelihood status. On the one hand, they can improve productivity in their own small holdings, on the other, they can earn extra income in their own locality, thereby minimising the need to migrate. Since women get equal wages there is more income in the household.

Moreover, the emphasis on improving the water bodies in the villages increases water security, without which life in many rural areas becomes insufferable.

3. Climate change and Nregs

Nregs aims at regenerating the environment through creation of productive assets such as water tanks, ponds, bunds, check dams and through aforestation programmes.

So far the relationship of Nregs to climate change has not been sufficiently underscored, but it is clear that the aforestation (which also serves as a carbon sink) and water conservation efforts of Nregs will have a significant effect on food, water and livelihood security.

The media can highlight the contribution of Nregs to the development of mitigation and adaptation strategies in the context of climate change. This is an important aspect that has been left out of government policy.

4. Stumbling blocks

The disconnect between the locally elected PRIs and the fractured bureaucracies (forest department, agriculture and irrigation departments.etc) has excluded the possibility of holistic planning at the village level, resulting in most schemes failing. Government bodies also see Nregs as a mere wage-employment programme, ignoring the participatory planning processes.

Local government is apathetic towards the scheme and often takes advantage of the ignorance of people to ignore implementation. In addition, corrupt local officials siphon off a part of the wages meant for the poor beneficiaries and even falsify muster roles with illegitimate or fictitious names.

Only the effective involvement of people’s organizations can overcome some of these shortcomings.

5. Success stories of Nregs

Success stories warm the heart and fill the mind with hope in a context where government initiated poverty alleviation programmes are viewed with cynicism.

The success stories being reported can include the participation of women, dalits and tribals in the planning and implementation of the scheme. In addition, it can also show how the effective implementation of the scheme has led to the socio-economic and political empowerment of the villagers.

Application Procedure:

If you are interested in writing on any of the above topics please send your bio-data and an article written by you in Kannada on any social or environmental issues to pipaltree.prog@gmail.com by 15 September 2010. The selected people will be notified by the end of September, and they will be requested to write an article on the proposed theme (3000 words) and to publish a shorter version of the article in any newspaper or magazine by the end of November. Pipal Tree will commission these articles.

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