The government today admitted that corruption is plaguing implementation of its flagship programme MNREGA and there is a need to address the issue meaningfully. "Though the achievements of MNREGA have been impressive,there have been issues with regard to its implementation that need to be recognised and addressed meaningfully.There has been public concern over misappropriation of funds and resources in MNREGA," Rural Development Minister Jairam Ramesh said in a research paper on the UPA's ambitious programme. He expressed hope that measures such as notification of Social Audit Rules,which makes it mandatory to have a social audit conducted by Gram Sabha and asking Comptroller and Auditor General to conduct a performance audit of MNREGA,would help address the concerns of corruption. The minister also highlighted the achievements of the rural job scheme in 'MGNREGA Sameeksha',an anthology of research study on the flagship scheme,which was released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh here. "While implementation remains uneven and patchy across states and districts,there is evidence to suggest that MNREGA has contributed to increased rural wages everywhere,reduced distress migration from traditionally migration-intensive areas,usage of barren areas for cultivation and empowerment of the weaker sections and giving them a new sense of identity and bargaining power," Ramesh said. The study said works carried out under MNREGA have led to a rise in groundwater,improvement in soil quality and reduction in vulnerability of production systems to climate variability. "Micro-level studies indicate that the water conservation structures,desilting of traditional water bodies,plantations and other works taken up in MNREGA,have improved water percolation and helped recharge groundwater," it said. This has also led to a rise in groundwater levels and water availability,increasing the area under irrigation in some cases,the study said. "An assessment of 34 anicuts (stone bunds) in Rajasthan observed that on an average,an anicut built under MNREGA was irrigating an area of 26 hectares and enhancing groundwater recharge for 3 to 25 wells leading to a rise in water levels between 10-40 feet," the study said citing an example. It says that an application of excavated silt from MNREGA works has the potential to add to soil fertility. "In Chittoor (Andhra Pradesh),excavated silt was applied to 36,000 acres of degraded lands belonging to SCs,STs and BPL families. This increased the soil fertility in terms of nutrients found in the soil," the research paper said. Croplands that had been treated by silt excavated from water bodies,recorded a two to threefold increase in the organic carbon content. Observing that MNREGA creates green jobs that contribute to environmental sustainability,the study said the rural job scheme is directly related to climate change mitigation and adaptation activities.
