Committee of eminent persons to monitor NREGA

To make implementation of its flagship programme for rural job guarantee more transparent, the government plans to constitute a group of eminent persons for its independent evaluation and monitoring. "We have decided to identify 100 eminent citizens to report independently further on the progress of National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA). The process is underway," Union Minister for Rural Development C P Joshi said. He said his ministry was preparing the essential criteria for the selection of these independent monitors, who would come from different walks of life. "After we finish preparing the criteria for their selection, we will post the proposal on our website inviting people to suggest the names of the persons of their choice," Joshi said. He said these independent monitors will be authorised to visit gram panchayats and conduct an independent evaluation on the progress of the programme in the area. They will submit their report to their respective state governments and Centre, Joshi said. "They will also report to the people about their findings and observations. Their (independent monitors) observations will definitely make a difference as people would take not of it and become more aware," he added. As per the plan, the reports of these 100 independent monitors will also be posted on the ministry's website for public view, a ministry official said. The ministry has already constituted a panel of 179 'National Level Monitors', including retired civil servants and senior ex-servicemen, to monitor the policy and implementation of the programmes at grassroots level, an official said. These monitors also look into various specific complaints regarding implementation of the programmes, as and when required by the ministry, which has also developed a system of online monitoring of the NREGA programme. Data relating to the progress of the programme is monthly updated from each district. Apart from this, the ministry undertakes concurrent evaluation, impact assessment studies and quick evaluations from time to time, through reputed and independent research organisations in order to assess impacts of the rural development programmes, an official said. The main objectives of these studies are to evaluate the performance of the schemes at the field level, assess the impact of the programmes and identify the problems in course of implementation so as to take mid-course corrective measures, he added.