Capacity building/planning critical to MGNREGA: CAG

CAG's recommendations for capacity building are deploying support staff, empanelling accredited engineers, imparting adequate training to the support staff at the district, block and gram panchayat levels

Capacity building and planning are critical to the successful implementation of schemes under MGNREGA, the flagship programme of the Centre in providing 100 days guaranteed employment.

However, delay in formulation of rules, constitution of State Employment Guarantee Council and inadequacy of manpower affected capacity building for proper implementation of the scheme in Jharkhand, finds a report by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India.

"Implementation of MGNREGS works suffered due to non-constitution of a panel of accredited engineers and technical resource system," points out the CAG for the year ended 31 March 2012 and tabled recently in Jharkhand Assembly.

It noticed that the State Employment Guarantee Scheme, named as "NREGS, Jharkhand", was formulated in June 2007 after a delay of 21 months from the date of notification of the MGNREGA, leading its functioning without any state-specific directions from February 2006, when the scheme was launched in Jharkhand, till June 2007.

The CAG's recommendations for capacity building are deploying support staff, empanelling accredited engineers in the state and imparting adequate training to the support staff at the district, block and gram panchayat levels.