Success Story

Taking MGNREGS to Unserved Forest Villages

Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), government of Indias flagship livelihood security programme is being seen as an important vehicle for rural development. Tools such as Social Audit and Budget & Expenditure Tracking can go a long way in bringing transparency and accountability in the scheme. With this idea in mind, Samarthan has initiated a project titled Promoting Accountability and Transperancy Tools for Monitoring Implementation of NREGS with support from our resource partner the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, Washington, D.C. The following case study illustrates one of the many achievements we have had in the project. It is an account of how Samarthans timely intervention has enhanced life and livelihoods in village Kota of the Panna district.

Kota, the Village that Got Left Behind

Even as the other villages of the Jardhowa Gram Panchayat reaped its benefits, MGNREGS seemed to have bypassed Kota, a tribal hamlet abutting the Panna National Park. Failing to make ends meet from NTFP collection, the families were forced to resort to seasonal migrationevery year for 4-6 months they would go to the neighboring Jardhowa village to work as peasants on the farms of big landowners. Although eight families in the village owned 2-6 acres of land, in absence of irrigation facilities, they could reap only the rain-fed kharif harvest and the farms had to be left uncultivated during the Rabi season. The villagers also grappled with the problem of access to regular drinking waters supply; when the hand-pumps broke down or dried up, drinking water had to be fetched from a distance. The villagers poverty and naivet made them easy prey for usurers and middlemen -until one day, when Samarthans team reached out to Kota and met the newly-elected sarpanch Meghan Singh. In 2007-08, Samarthan started working closely with the Gram Sabha, who had hitherto believed that their village was not entitled to benefit from MGNREGS. Our team helped 92 families get job cards and apply for work. We also facilitated other technicalities such as preparation of the work plan and the labour budget. The implementation of the scheme began in Kota in 20010-11. Since then, public works worth Rs. 16 lakhs of sanctioned amount have been carried out in the village including the digging of a public well which pro-

SAMARTHAN
Centre for Development Support

vides irrigation water to the farms and field bunding of five farms. In 2010-11, fifty-four families worked for 3342 mandays to earn Rs. 3,28,330 in wages while in 2011-12 seventy-three families worked for 2511 man-days to earn Rs. 3,00,247 in wages. The sarpanch and the secretary express their satisfaction over the work carried out under NREGS. We are giving top priority to the works that are most needed by the people, they point out. Here are two accounts of how Samarthans intervention has changed lives in Kota : A Twenty-year-old Dream Comes True Seventy-year-old Saddu Gond owns six acres of land in Kota village. Before MGNREGS was implemented in Kota, he was able to cultivate only the Kharif crop on his land. The four quintals of minor millets and two quintals of paddy that he harvested were enough to feed his eighteen- member family only for 2-3 three months. Survival during the rest of the year depended on NTFP collection and migration to Jardhowa village and nearby towns to work as laborers. Things changed when the Nirmal Neer public well was constructed. Farm bunding was also carried out on Saddus land, which was uneven and prone to erosion in 2010-11. This year, Saddhu has sown wheat, gram and mustard in his farm during the Rabi season. He is expecting to harvest 30-35 quintals which will last him all year long. Whats more, six job-card holders form his family worked under the MGNREGS and earned Rs. 22,000 in wages. Saddu says, this year his family members will not have to leave his village to find work. Looking fondly at his lush green fields, he talks about his plans to grow vegetables next summer. Its been so long since his family has been eating roti with salt, rues Saddu. This year, theyll have enough vegetables to eat. He may even be able to spare some for selling in the market and earn some cash income. For twenty years, Saddu has been dreaming of a well near his fields. I have grown old dreaming of a well. Even in my wildest dreams I couldnt imagine that we would dig a well for ourselves and get paid for it. Widowed Halki Bai Finds Support Seventy-five-year-old Halki Bai doesnt have any children. When Halki Bais husband died, the only family she was left with was a distant nephew who refused to take care of her, himself forced to migrate in search of work. Four acres of un-irrigated land being her only property, she was left to fend for herself. Even this land would lie uncultivated for the most part. She could harvest only 2-3 quintals of grains in the years that had good rain. Runoff was very high on her uneven farm and cultivation was difficult during drier years. Soil erosion was slowly rendering her farm barren; it badly needed bunding. Halki Bais husband had died with his wish to make his fields more cultivable. Halki Bai used to make ends meet through the paltry sum of Rs. 275 p.m. she received as old-age pension. When MGNREGS came to Kota, Halki Bais farm was chosen for bunding during 2010-11. Whats more, she could now irrigate it from the public well. The farm is now in a position to yield 7-8 quintals in the Rabi season. Halki Bais nephew Chandu will spend this year cultivating the farm and taking care of her. She will no longer be uncared for. And there will be enough food for the two of them. In the days to come, we will ask the sarpanch to get a hedge made around the field, the two discuss excitedly.