DIMAPUR, SEPTEMBER 13 (MExN): It is no secret that the implementation of government sponsored welfare schemes for the poor in Nagaland is far from satisfactory. A report compiled by the Nagaland Development Outreach (NDO), reiterated just that while putting a question mark over the performance of the agencies concerned. NDO is the development wing of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council. Copies of the report were handed out to mediapersons during an interaction on Tuesday, September 13.
According to the report, data were compiled based on a ‘Rapid Survey’ conducted by the various tribal units of the NDO under the NBCC in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioners to the Supreme Court. The objective was “to evaluate the functioning of the government food, work and social security schemes” in the state, namely – Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, now rechristened as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
NFBS and NOAPS are structured under the National Social Assistance Programme and are implemented alongwith the Annapurna Scheme.
“The schemes assessed by this survey are those that have been covered by the interim orders of the Supreme Court in the ‘Right to Food’ case (PUCL vs. Union of India, CWP 196/2001),” the report stated. The survey covered all the eleven districts of the state and was carried out from April to November 2009 and was coordinated by the State Advisor to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court.
According to the report, more than 3000 villages were covered under the survey, interacting with a total of 18, 855 respondents, who were asked to fill a prepared set of questionnaires. A follow up survey, more comprehensive in scale, is on the cards. A comparative study of the findings or changes, if any, from the upcoming survey will be made taking the existing report as a base.
According to the report, data were compiled based on a ‘Rapid Survey’ conducted by the various tribal units of the NDO under the NBCC in collaboration with the Office of the Commissioners to the Supreme Court. The objective was “to evaluate the functioning of the government food, work and social security schemes” in the state, namely – Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS), Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), National Old Age Pension Scheme (NOAPS), Mid Day Meal Scheme (MDMS), National Family Benefit Scheme (NFBS), National Maternity Benefit Scheme (NMBS) and National Rural Employment Guarantee Act, now rechristened as Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
NFBS and NOAPS are structured under the National Social Assistance Programme and are implemented alongwith the Annapurna Scheme.
“The schemes assessed by this survey are those that have been covered by the interim orders of the Supreme Court in the ‘Right to Food’ case (PUCL vs. Union of India, CWP 196/2001),” the report stated. The survey covered all the eleven districts of the state and was carried out from April to November 2009 and was coordinated by the State Advisor to the Commissioners of the Supreme Court.
According to the report, more than 3000 villages were covered under the survey, interacting with a total of 18, 855 respondents, who were asked to fill a prepared set of questionnaires. A follow up survey, more comprehensive in scale, is on the cards. A comparative study of the findings or changes, if any, from the upcoming survey will be made taking the existing report as a base.
The main findings of the survey are given below
TPDS: Among the respondents only 25% had ration cards, more than 60% of the respondents reported getting less than 25 kgs of rice in a month from the PDS (at present 35 kilograms/month is the norm, to be provided to every registered BPL family at subsidized rates), about 40% of the respondents felt that the quality of grain provided is of poor quality, only a negligible fraction (0.2%) of the respondents said that the ‘Ration Shops’ are open everyday while 71% said that the shops are never open).
MGNREGA: 66.7% of the respondents had job cards, 48.4% applied for work under the scheme, about 41% of them received work within 15 days of applying, a large majority (80%) received work for less than 30 days in the previous year, 57% said they were paid minimum wages and that too delayed.
ICDS: About 82.2% of the respondents said that an ‘Anganwadi’ centre is available in the village and 88% of them had their children enrolled; only 3% said that it is open everyday while less than 1% reported that supplementary nutrition is provided everyday, 5% of the mothers said that their wards were provided freshly prepared meals and in only about 23% of the cases, weight was regularly monitored.
NMBS: About 12% of the respondents had applied for benefits under this scheme and about 9.2% of the respondents received benefits, more than 90% of the respondents were given the benefit after the delivery, most of the women reported that the benefit they received was spent on food or medicine for themselves.
MDMS: More than 85% of the children said that they were given freshly prepared meal in school, only about 19% of the children said that meal was provided throughout the year, about 50% of the children said that a varied menu was provided in the mid day meal and less than 64% felt that the quantity of food given in the mid day meal was sufficient.
NOAPS: 34.4% of the respondents said that they were beneficiaries of the pension scheme and 86% said that the pension was not paid regularly.
NFBS: Only two out of 800 eligible respondents received benefit under this scheme. (The responses/percentages are for different queries put up in the questionnaire)
TPDS: Among the respondents only 25% had ration cards, more than 60% of the respondents reported getting less than 25 kgs of rice in a month from the PDS (at present 35 kilograms/month is the norm, to be provided to every registered BPL family at subsidized rates), about 40% of the respondents felt that the quality of grain provided is of poor quality, only a negligible fraction (0.2%) of the respondents said that the ‘Ration Shops’ are open everyday while 71% said that the shops are never open).
MGNREGA: 66.7% of the respondents had job cards, 48.4% applied for work under the scheme, about 41% of them received work within 15 days of applying, a large majority (80%) received work for less than 30 days in the previous year, 57% said they were paid minimum wages and that too delayed.
ICDS: About 82.2% of the respondents said that an ‘Anganwadi’ centre is available in the village and 88% of them had their children enrolled; only 3% said that it is open everyday while less than 1% reported that supplementary nutrition is provided everyday, 5% of the mothers said that their wards were provided freshly prepared meals and in only about 23% of the cases, weight was regularly monitored.
NMBS: About 12% of the respondents had applied for benefits under this scheme and about 9.2% of the respondents received benefits, more than 90% of the respondents were given the benefit after the delivery, most of the women reported that the benefit they received was spent on food or medicine for themselves.
MDMS: More than 85% of the children said that they were given freshly prepared meal in school, only about 19% of the children said that meal was provided throughout the year, about 50% of the children said that a varied menu was provided in the mid day meal and less than 64% felt that the quantity of food given in the mid day meal was sufficient.
NOAPS: 34.4% of the respondents said that they were beneficiaries of the pension scheme and 86% said that the pension was not paid regularly.
NFBS: Only two out of 800 eligible respondents received benefit under this scheme. (The responses/percentages are for different queries put up in the questionnaire)
