5 March 2011

The Poorest Areas Civil Society (PACS) Programme is hosting its second state consultation in Capitol Hill, Jharkhand on the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).

The multi-stakeholder consultation is part of the PACS state consultation series and will be inaugurated by Mr. Hemant Soren, Deputy Chief Minister, Jharkhand; and Minister for Finance, Government of Jharkhand.

The inauguration session will also include speakers Mr. Balram, State Advisor to Commissioner of Supreme Court - 'Right to Food'; Ms. Vasvi Kiro, Member, State Commission for Women, Jharkhand; and Mr. Ramesh Sharan, Economist, Ranchi University. Mr. Balram said:

'The state level consultative meet organised by PACS will help us to understand different perspectives on MNREGA, provide valuable insights and feedback on systemic changes and suggest actions for further improvement.'

Mr. Rajan Khosla, Director, PACS said:

'The PACS Programme works to strengthen demand by supporting the grassroots interventions of CSOs and engages with service providers and wider civil society and people’s representatives through advocacy efforts such as these.'

MGNREGA - an introduction

MGNREGA is a landmark in Indian legislation, providing a legal guarantee of 100 days of employment each financial year. The provision is available to adult members of rural households willing to do public work, unskilled manual work at the statutory minimum wage per day.

Experience emerging from grassroots has shown that, in spite of the good intentions and design of the act, there is a need for more concerted efforts from all sides to ensure its effective delivery on the ground.

State consultation on MGNREGA in Jharkhand

The consultation is designed to create a platform for dialogue aimed at making the implementation of MGNREGA more effective in Jharkhand by sharing perspectives, opinions and expectations from both the supply side (government as the service provider) and the demand side (CSOs representing community voices).

As well as sharing challenges, the consultation provides an opportunity to hear about innovative programmes and best practice from various stakeholders engaged in the implementation of MGNREGA.

Mr. Johnson Topno, Jharkhand State Manager, said:

'Advocacy initiatives like the consultation help us to ensure that the rights and entitlements of people who are excluded from or face difficulties in accessing MGNREGA are carefully considered and fulfilled in a non-discriminatory manner.'

The inaugural session will be followed by two panel discussions to share government and civil society perspectives on the MNREGA and how all can work together to improve the implementation of MNREGA.

Notes to editor:

1. Mr. Hemant Soren, Deputy Chief Minister, Jharkhand is also the Minister for the Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation, Department for Civil Aviation and the Department of Mines and Geology.
2. Eliminating world poverty is a priority for the UK Government. The Department for International Development (DFID) leads this agenda for the UK in many countries, including India. India is DFID's largest country programme. DFID works in partnership with the Government of India and other partners to achieve national poverty reduction targets and internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
3. PACS is an initiative of the UK Government’s Department for International Development (DFID), to work with civil society in India, to help socially excluded groups claim their rights and entitlements more effectively. In Jharkhand, PACS works in 18 districts of Bokaro, Chatra, Deoghar, Dumka, Garhwa, Godda, Koderma, Latehar, Lohardaga, Pakur, Palamu, Saraikela Kharsawan, Simdega, West Singhbhum, Jamtara, Giridih, Sahebganj.
4. PACS focuses on non-discriminatory access for socially excluded groups in two key themes:
   - Livelihoods (work, land rights, resources and skills).
   - Right to basic services (education, health and nutrition).
5. The management consultant for PACS is Indian Forum for Inclusive Response and Social Transformation (IFIRST), a consortium of five organisations. IFIRST is led by Christian Aid, along with Caritas India, Indian Institute of Dalit Studies, ACCESS Development Services, and Financial Management Services Foundation.
6. PACS will reach out to eight million people and their households in 90 districts across the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Orissa and West Bengal. PACS focuses on socially excluded groups: scheduled castes (SCs), scheduled tribes (STs), Muslims, women and people with disability (PwD).

Journalists that have a media enquiry can contact PACS national office by telephone at +91 11 24372660/24372699 or via email: query@pacsindia.org.