Jaipur, July 7, Representatives of a coalition of civil society networks and citizens organisations working on ensuring peoples’ right to employment have written to the Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje and to the Union Rural Development Minister Nitin Gadkari under the banner of Suchna evam Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan (SR Abhiyan) after the Rajasthan CM’s letter to Gadkari (written on 07.06.14) about the MGNREGA came to light through some media reports. In this letter, she had written:
“It is a moot issue why rural employment should be guaranteed by an Act and why such employment cannot be delivered, or even guaranteed, as a Scheme. It is difficult to see the advantages of an Act, except that it can lead to increased litigations by all manners of organizations. Whether it is to be NREGA or NREGS is a matter of debate and decision”.
The letter signed by Aruna Roy, Nikhil Dey, Kavita Srivastava, and many others from Rajasthan’s civil society says, “We want to categorically state that the views of the CM on MGNREGA do not represent the views of the people of Rajasthan. The views in the letter do not reflect the opinion of the lakhs of rural poor households working on MGNREGA in the state.”
The letter to Gadkari goes on to say, “The MGNREGA has served as a lifeline of support for nearly 100 lakh registered households in the state. Any attempt, therefore, to dilute the provisions of this Act, will face massive public consequences.”
While talking about the dangers of turning NREGA from a law into a mere scheme, the letter states, “The result of changing MGNREGA into a scheme would foster and strengthen relationships of feudal control, patronage and discretion. It would remove the rights of the poor and the accountability of officials and the responsibility of the political establishment to deliver.”
The letter urges the Union Ministry of Rural Development to prevent any insidious attacks on the law (NREGA) that are being attempted in a completely arbitrary and opaque fashion. The letter also urges the Union Minister to put in place effective mechanisms to capture demand and provide work to the lakhs of households who are in need of work.
The letter to Vasundhara Raje says, “The people of Rajasthan have fought for the NREGA and were responsible for this important national legislation coming into being. Your letter to the Union Rural Development Minister has shocked and disappointed us. There is no doubt in our mind that the people of the state will fight to ensure that entitlements under the act are not diluted in any way.”
The representatives of Suchna evam Rozgar Adhikar Abhiyan, Rajasthan have urged the CM to ensure that instead of undermining the scope and reach of MGNREGA in the State strong efforts to improve its efficiency are made by ensuring that adequate and timely funds are released for the programme’s implementation from the Centre and it is also ensured that officials in charge of implementation are held accountable for carrying out their responsibilities.

Hastakshep