[se-gen] Query: Identifying Jobs/Work for Women under the MGNREGS, September 2013

[se-gen] QUERY: Identifying Jobs/Work for Women under the MGNREGS – Advice. Reply by 24 September 2013.

This is a query from Dibyendu Sarkar, Commissioner-MGNREGS (West Bengal), which has been posted to the Gender Community members for their inputs. Besides our blog, the query is appearing on the blog:

http://devdreamer.blogspot.in/2013/07/opening-up-employment-opportunities-for.html.

 

We are keen that through the Blogs many more development practitioners who are not members of the Gender Community participate and contribute to this discussion on NREGA. In 2013, the Gender Community is collaborating as a knowledge partner with PACS-DFID’s on  “Addressing Gender Issues in NREGA”.

 

To know more about this collaboration, please visit: ftp://ftp.solutionexchange.net.in/public/gen/resource/res_info_21011301.pdf (PDF; Size: 370 KB).  The inputs from the below appended query shall also feed into the Community’s knowledge based work on NREGA with PACS.

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Dear Members,

I am presently posted as a Special Secretary in the Panchayats & Rural Development Department, Government of West Bengal. Since March 2012 I have been functioning as the Commissioner, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), West Bengal.

 

Women participation in MGNREGA in West Bengal is relatively low. Compared to the all India average of 51.33% of women contribution in total person-days generated during 2012-13, West Bengal could achieve only the stipulated minimum of 33% (33.70%). There is substantial inter-district variation. A number of districts could not even reach the 33% mark.

 

I have been telling the districts to take effective steps to enhance women participation through a series of activities. Also, via a blog that I maintain, I have tried to outline some of the activities to promote women participation. Major thrust is on linkage between NRLM and MGNREGA to ensure that the Self-Help Groups are utilized to plan, promote, implement, monitor and supervise activities under MGNREGA. Members may like to access this blog at http://devdreamer.blogspot.in/2013/07/opening-up-employment-opportunities-for.html

In March 2013, we organized a workshop on women participation in MGNREGA, wherein the keynote address was given by Mr. S. M. Vijayanand, Additional Secretary, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD), Government of India. Our understanding is that the issue is more of discrimination within the family where the scope that NREGA is giving to the households is usurped by the male folk and women are not allowed to access the benefit. Incidentally, in West Bengal person-days generated per active household is pretty low and last year we could reach an average of 34.63 person-days per active Job Card. Although we talk of demand-based allocation of work, the ground reality indicates selective employment. We are trying to address the issue of demand by empowering kiosks to register demand directly from the Job Card holders, the issue of finding suitable work which will encourage women to meaningfully participate is something with which we are grappling.

 

Initiatives from the State Government has resulted in some marginal increase  and districts have started to take up all-women works which is expected to raise women participation in the programme. However, we are often faced with the problem of identifying works which can be taken up by women alone. Presently, women are mostly engaged as part of mixed groups for different land development, flood protection, water conservation, creation/ enhancement of irrigation potentials etc. Women are exclusively engaged in raising of seedlings in nurseries and some of the plantation activities, both afforestation and plantation of fruit-bearing trees. Of late, we are trying to construct individual household sanitary toilets in convergence with Nirmal Bharat Abhijan (NBA). However, in this sector too, participation is mixed and both male and female job seekers are engaged.

Based on the above background, I would like to request Gender Community members to share some concrete suggestions on the following:

• What could be the possible ways to promote greater women participation in addition to the ones that we have already asked the districts to put into practice?
• What could be the specific works where only women can be attracted and only women labour groups would be interested, and capable of giving optimal output?
• How, in a scenario where women would be encouraged to participate in a greater number, we would be able to ensure quality output?

In addition, we welcome any other issue that the members may highlight concerning the gender aspect of MGNREGA implementation.

 

I look forward to your valuable contributions. We shall duly acknowledge your contribution.

Best regards,
Dibyendu Sarkar
Commissioner, MGNREGS, West Bengal &
Special Secretary,  Panchayats & Rural Development Department,
Government of West Bengal