AMITA SHARMA

Joint Secretary

Tel.No.2338 5027

Fax No.2338 4703

 

 

 

 

D.O. No. PS/JS(NREGA)/2007

Dated:  1st May, 2007

 

Dear Sir/Madam,

   

            Awareness Generation among stakeholders through Information Education                                    Communication (IEC).

 

            The implementation of NREGA has been intensively reviewed in Programme Review Committee on 12th April 2007 with State RD Secretaries as well as with the District Programme Coordinators of 113 new NREGA districts and select DPCs of Phase One NREGA districts. 

 

 2.        These interactions with State officials clearly highlighted the key challenge of NREGA as the articulation by the rural poor of their demand.   As was repeatedly emphasized during these discussions, NREGA is a Paradigm shift in poverty alleviation, specially wage employment programmes.  Wage employment programmes like SGRY have been allocation based NREGA is not supply driven but Demand driven.  The critical triggers of NREGA is the application by the wage seeker for registration,   issue of job cards employment upon application

 

3.         In order to facilitate the process of articulation of demand by the rural poor intensive Information Education Communication activities have to be given the highest priority.  IEC activities must be focused on Key stakeholders at the village level:   Wage seekers, and Gram Panchayat members.   The following activities will be taken up by all States in a time bound manner:

 

a)         Communication material with graphics on NREGA processes in simple local language should be prepared

 

b)         One day orientation of all Sarpanchas/Ward members of Gram Panchayats at the Block level should be held by May end

 

c)         Gram Sabhas will be convened by June end to familiarize beneficiaries about NREGA.

 

d)         District   teams with about five members each team should camp and night halt in cluster of 15 villages to interact with the wage seekers, facilitate their registration, and job cards and identification of works.

 

e)         One day will be fixed in a week & publicised as Rozgar Diwas

 

f)          Help Line with telephone numbers of key officials should be printed behind job cards, or else widely publicized

 

g)         Key Messages of NREGA should be widely publicized in local Newspapers TV and Radio.

 

h)         Local cultural forms have proved to be effective and should be used for communicating to the local communities

 

i)          NGOS and SHGs may be used for Social Mobilisation

 

j)          Aanganwadi worker of ICDS and ASHA worker of the National Rural Health Mission may be considered for the purpose of dissemination of information on NREGA wherever, they are positioned.

 

j)          Information counters in local Market days should be set up

 

k)         Village Information Wall should be established in each Gram Panchayat containing key messages and procedures of NREGA as well as the status of implementation in that GP that should include basic information on the households registered, and job cards issued, employment demanded and provided, name and cost of works sanctioned, funds received and used, wages paid.

 

4.                  Key Messages to be included in all IEC initiatives are:

·        The Act Guarantees 100 days of employment upon Demand  

·        Wage Seekers have to apply for registration and Job Card.

·        Documentation of the demand for   employment

·        Dated receipt of the application for employment by the Gram Panchayat.

·        Provision of unskilled manual Work within 15 days of demand.

·        Else payment of unemployment allowance by the State Government

·        Workers should be paid wages within 15 days of work completion of work

·        Workers have the right to check their muster rolls.

 

5.                  All States are expected to initiate IEC activities as indicated above.  The cost of these activities may be borne out of the 4% administrative expenses. DPCs should be instructed forthwith.

 

6.                  Each DPC will submit a certificate to the State Government with a copy to the Ministry   on completing all Block level Conventions of Sarpanches and ward members by the last week of May and of convening all Gram Sabhas on NREGA by June end.

 

7.                  A detailed report on the action taken on the IEC initiatives as indicated here will be sent by the State Government along with sample IEC materials by June in the Checklist attached.  The Checklist is indicative of key activities that all States are expected to undertake. IEC activities besides those indicated in the format should be mentioned specifically by the State.  The DPC has to indicate the time Plan for the activities and the output in terms of number of activities completed and outcomes in terms of the impact of the activities undertaken.  A soft copy of the IEC Checklist may be accessed on www.nrega.nic.in.

 

8.                  The focus of monitoring of NREGA in the next two months will the outreach and quality of IEC activities taken up at the district and its impact on the awareness levels of the local community, specially wage earners.

 

9.                  This letter may, therefore be kindly acknowledged and action planned to be taken indicated to the Ministry at the earliest.

     

      With regards,

 

Yours sincerely,

 

 

( Amita Sharma )

 

To

 

All States Secretaries of Rural Development in charge of NREGA