A note on the PRIYA MITR
initiative in MP
Mahatma Gandhi NREGS guarantees at least 100 days of
wages employment to unskilled labour in the rural areas. The
job card holders are to make an application for wage employment in
the various avenues made available. Within fifteen days of such request
employment is to be made available.
To operationalise this guarantee, the state of MP has made the PRIYA
MITR initiative which seeks to bring in a paradigm of pro active governance.
The Gram Rojgar Sahayak in particular and the Gram Panchayat in general has
been tasked with the readiness of 5 community works and 25 individual
beneficiary works. Wherever the daily labour engagement is less then 50/day, it
has now been mandated that the Gram RojgarSahayak will communicate
the readiness of the available works to the disadvantaged families in the
Gram Panchayat that s/he works in. The information is in the form of
a letter titled PRIYA MITR in which the details of the
available work in the Gram Panchayat is intimated to the family without any application.
Documentation to this effect has been made mandatory and this performance
has been linked to the payment of Gram RojgarSahayaks.
Earlier, when labour engagement would dip without reason, the
field level staff had the opportunity to make an explanation that there is no
demand despite their IEC efforts as would be evident from the lack of any
application for employment registered . With PRIYA MITR documentation
available, the IEC activity is more focused and a well performing Gram
RojgarSahayak would not be penalised for lower labour engagement if
he has the monthly documentation of bringing into operation the guarantee at
grass root level ready with him.
MITR translates as Mainstreaming Is Their Right. Rather than going
to each and every family, the initiative is the reach out to the doorsteps of
those in disadvantaged families so that their Right is available without
an application.
At present, the improving labour engagement across board would certainly
suggest that this procedure has been helpful. The Programme Officers recounted
that they felt more control over the Gram Panchayat level sincerity after this
documentation process - in exclusion to other IEC efforts which are less
tangible and more costly. With a strenuous documentation insisted only
where performance is below par, the time and energy of the grass root
functionary does not get locked unnecessarily.
The note is circulated for your kind consideration and comment.
