< Daily Current Affairs & Important Editorials

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MGNREGA

GS- II >>Social Justice>> Government Scheme

Context: Among the 34 States and Union Territories, only six have completed social audits in over 50% of gram panchayats. Kerala stands out as the sole state achieving 100% coverage in gram panchayats.

About MGNREGA:

• The Ministry of Rural Development implements the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), ensuring a minimum of 100 days of guaranteed wage employment annually for households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.
• Primary Objectives:
  • Household security: The primary aim is to provide a minimum level of household security in rural areas. This involves offering at least 100 days of guaranteed wage employment annually to households whose adult members volunteer for unskilled manual work.
  • Creation of productive assets: MGNREGA seeks to create productive assets of prescribed quality and durability through wage employment, contributing to economic development.
  • Livelihood resource base: The Act aims to strengthen the livelihood resource base of the rural poor, addressing poverty concerns.
  • Social inclusion: Proactive efforts are made to ensure social inclusion of women, Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Scheduled Tribes (STs), promoting equity.
  • Strengthening Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs): The Act actively involves PRIs in formulation, implementation, and monitoring, enhancing local governance.

Recent concern about MGNREGS:

• Social audit progress: Only six out of 34 States and Union Territories have completed social audits in over 50% of gram panchayats except Kerala.
• Audit standards and funding: Audit standards were issued by CAG on December 19, 2016. Social Audit Units are entitled to funds equivalent to 0.5% of the MGNREGA expenditure incurred by the state in the previous year.
• Uniform challenge across states: Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Chhattisgarh, and low audit completion rates among poll-bound states. The social audit challenge persists irrespective of the political party in power across the country.
• Centre’s reminders and state concerns: States attribute audit delays to the Centre’s failure to release funds for independent social audit units promptly. Complaints about delayed salaries for village-level auditors are recurrent.

Government reforms for MGNREGA:

• Expanding MGNREGA to urban areas: One proposed reform for MGNREGA is the extension of the program to urban areas. This expansion aims to combat urban unemployment and create job opportunities for individuals with low-skilled expertise.
• Universal Basic Income (UBI) as an alternative: Considering Universal Basic Income (UBI) as a substitute for MGNREGA. UBI is viewed as a more efficient and less leaky option compared to existing welfare schemes like MGNREGA.
• Budget estimates and fund allocation: Overview of budget estimates, revised estimates, and fund released in the last three financial years and the current fiscal year 2023-24.
• National Electronic Fund Management System (NeFMS): NeFMS is in place to ensure timely payment of wages to MGNREGA workers. Efforts are made to pay wages on time, with 99.12% of pay orders generated within 15 days in FY 2023-24.
• Benefits of APBS: Review of APBS progress, and the mixed route of wage payment (NACH and APBS) extended until December 31, 2023, or until further orders.
• Aadhaar Integration and Eligibility: Aadhaar seeding in MIS is at 97.87% of total active workers, making 84.78% eligible for APBS. The Ministry emphasizes requesting Aadhaar details from beneficiaries but does not refuse work based on Aadhaar status.
• Convergence with other schemes: To enhance the effectiveness and sustainability of MGNREGA projects, there is a recommendation for the convergence of MGNREGA with other existing schemes.
• Mandatory social audits: A crucial reform proposal emphasizes the mandatory conduct of social audits every six months. This step is envisioned to enhance the implementation of MGNREGA by ensuring regular scrutiny and transparency.
• Precise issuance of job cards: A critical aspect is the precise issuance of job cards. The suggestion is to allocate job cards strictly to individuals eligible for MGNREGA employment, excluding elected PRI representatives and MGNREGA officials from this entitlement.

Way forward:

• Enhanced social audits: Regular and timely social audits need to be conducted in all States to ensure accountability and transparency. The Centre should release funds promptly to avoid delays in the audit process.
• Strict implementation of auditing standards: States should strictly adhere to the auditing standards laid down by the Comptroller and Auditor General to maintain the integrity of the audit process.
• Nationwide adoption of Kerala’s model: States can learn from Kerala’s approach and consider adopting periodic Social Audit Public Hearings at the panchayat level.
• Empowerment of Gram Sabha: There should be a concerted effort to empower the Gram Sabha in monitoring the execution of works, as mandated by Section 17 of the MGNREGA.
• Timely disbursement of salaries: Address the recurrent issue of delayed salaries for village-level auditors to ensure a smooth audit process. Timely disbursement is crucial for maintaining the motivation and efficiency of those involved in social audits.
• Digital integration for transparency: Integrate digital platforms for transparency, monitoring, and grievance redressal to enhance efficiency and reduce corruption.

Source: www.thehindu.com

Terrorism in Jammu & Kashmir

GS- III >> Internal Security>> Terrorism

Context: ‘Qari’ a highly trained commander of the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), who played an instrumental role in revival of terrorism in Poonch and Rajouri, was killed in an encounter at Kalakote in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.

About History of terrorism/militancy in Jammu & Kashmir:

• Roots of insurgency in J&K can be traced to later part of 1940s when Pakistan attacked India with a view to capture Jammu & Kashmir.
• Ever since there has been a section of population which believes in secession from India. These groups aided and abetted from across border have often indulged in insurgent activities.
• Following the 1971 India-Pakistan war there was a lull in the secessionist activities. However, eighties witnessed large scale infiltration across border and a sudden increase in insurgency. Innocent persons were targeted and forced to flee from the State.
• Rise of Islamist fundamentalism and emergence of Al-Qaeda has added to insurgency in J&K.
• Pakistan-based terrorist organisation called Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) is supposed to be inspired from philosophy and outlook of Al-Qaeda. Other affiliates of Al-Qaeda which continue to pose a serious threat to peace and security in India are Jaish-e- Mohammed, HUM, HUJI and Al-Badr.
• JeM was formed by Masood Azhar, a former senior leader of Harkat-ul-Ansar who was released and handed over by India to Taliban at Kandahar (Afghanistan) in exchange of IC-814 hijacking.

Recent shift in militant strategy in Jammu & Kashmir:

• In February 2021, the UT police seized 15 magnetic IEDs in Samba district along international border with Pakistan.
• In June 2021, low flying drones dropped two IEDs at Jammu’s Air force station.
• Militants are now targeting the Rajouri-Poonch belt in the Pir Panjal region ‘after suffering setbacks in Kashmir’.
• Recruitment is being seen among school dropouts in adolescent age. Earlier, recruitment would be in the age of 25-30 years. However, now it has unfortunately shifted to a younger demography.

Various reasons for the shifting in militant strategy:

• Thinning of security forces: In 2020, amid the standoff with China along the LAC in Ladakh sector, several companies of the Rashtriya Rifles were moved from the hinterlands of Poonch, Rajouri and adjoining Reasi district in Jammu division.
• Usage of technology: Now they are using the applications such as Telegram, to avoid tracking of their movements.
• Reduced network of informers: Drying up of ‘human intelligence’ makes it difficult to anticipate the attacks by security personnel.
• New hideouts: The swathe near the LoC south of the Pirpanjal Range is a contiguous one of very thick forests, that stretch from the LoC leading to the mountains, which make it extremely difficult for the forces to effectively cordon off the area.

Jammu & Kashmir’s stand:

• North Kashmir, which once was hotbed of terrorism, has seen little violence in recent years, with epicentre of terrorism shifting to South Kashmir.
• There has also been an uptick in terrorist actions in Srinagar, but in both quantitative and qualitative terms, level of violence has reduced drastically.
• Infiltration across border has reduced drastically as per Ministry of Home Affairs data:
• In 2022, until April, there have been only two infiltration attempts, both of which were foiled.
• According to the Indian Army, over 100 terrorist launch pads continue to operate in Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, but this has not translated into increased activity across the LoC.
• Number of terrorists recruited are only 50 in 2022 till April which is lower than 143 in 2021. In north Kashmir majority of terrorists are from Pakistan, while in South Majority terrorists are local recruits.

Various government steps taken to improve the security situation in Jammu & Kashmir:

• Abrogation of Article 370 and 35A have changed status of erstwhile state of J&K into 2 UTs – J&K and Ladakh.
• A Multi-Disciplinary Terror Financing Monitoring Group (TMG) was constituted.
• Special Industry Initiative (SII J&K) ‘UdDAAN’: The Scheme is being implemented by National Skill Development Corporation in PPP mode. It aims at providing skill and enhances employability of unemployed youths of J&K who are graduates, postgraduates or three-year engineering diploma.
• Rural and urban youth including school dropouts are now being imparted job-oriented training in various sectors such as ITeS, Sales and Customer Service and Hospitality etc. under the ‘HIMAYAT’ scheme.
• Local body elections re-established long overdue grassroots level democracy in J&K and Ladakh. Provision of direct elections for Sarpanches of Panchayats had been restored to ensure accountability.
• Relief & Rehabilitation of Kashmiri migrants: Due to onset of militancy in J&K in early 1990s, most Kashmiri Pandit families along with some Sikh and Muslim families migrated from Kashmir Valley to Jammu, Delhi and other parts.
• People to people contact across LOC (Confidence Building Measures): Includes travel & trade across LOC between J&K & Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK).
• PM Development Package for J&K, 2015: PM announced a package of Rs. 80,000 crores towards Special Assistance to J&K for development.

Source: www.thehindu.com