Manual for Intensive Participatory Planning Exercise for MNREGA 2014-15

Photo courtesy PACS

Prepared by Resource Team at Ministry of Rural Development, GoI

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Table of contents

Chapter 1: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW of MNREGAChapter 2: NEED FOR PARTICIPATORY PLANNINGChapter 3: PREPARATORY STEPS Chapter 4: UNDERSTANDING THE COMMUNITY, MAPPING OF NEEDS ANDESTIMATION OF DEMAND Chapter 5: IDENTIFICATION OF WORKS AND PRIORITISATION OF PEOPLES NEEDS Chapter 6: BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PLANNING AND UNDERSTANDING WATERSHEDChapter 7: CONVERGENCEChapter 8: FACILITATING GRAM SABHA FOR APPROVAL

ANNEXURES

Abbreviations& Glossary

BPT Block Planning TeamSRT State Resource Team (of Trainers)DRT District Resource Team (of Trainers)IPPE Intensive Participatory Planning ExerciseGS Gram SabhaGP Gram Panchayat

GRS Gram RozgarSewak or equivalent Panchayat level MGNREGS functioanry

Gram Sabha The Gram Sabha is defined differently in different states and areas. In some areas the Gram Sabha is constituted at the Gram Panchayat Level. In PESA areas, Gram Sabha is constituted at the traditional Habitation level. In Sixth Schedule areas there are traditional village authorities.

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Purpose of the Manual and the way it is organized?

This manual aims to be a guide for the Block Planning Team (BPT) Members in the 2500 most backward blocks selected for the Intensive Participatory Planning Exercise (IPPE). BPT members are selected under the leadership of the Block Level Charge Officer for IPPE, from among youths (women and men)belonging to MGNREGS workers’ households. They are expected to have completed at least elementary schooling with reading/writing/ conversation skills in the local language. BPT Members will be grouped together in sub-teams for facilitating Planning for given Gram Panchayats.

The manual seeks to provide a simple and step by step guide on how to conduct participatory planning exercise to prepare a prioritised list of works for MNREGA at the Village/Hamlet/Ward level and compile it at the GP Level. Itintroduces technical matters as relevant for local planning, in simple terms.

This Manual also forms the key background material for the Trainers at National, State and District Level with the ultimate objective of enabling the members of the Block Planning Team to understand and use this manual to facilitate Participatory Planning Exercise in their allocated Gram Panchayats.

Chapter 1:Discusses MGNREGA, its importance for households and individuals dependent on wage labour.

Chapter 2: Discusses the need for Participatory Planning and why the IPPE has been initiated.

Chapter 3: Discusses preparatory work to be done before visiting the Gram Panchayat and the villages in it, for facilitating the IPPE process.

Chapter 4: Discusses the approaches, processes and tools to facilitate better understanding among the villagers of their own conditions as well as provide opportunity to the BPT to gain an understanding about the village/hamlet.

Chapter 5: Discusses the approaches, processes and tools to facilitate the collective development of a plan for the Hamlet/Village/Ward and the Gram Panchayat, to improve livelihoods and living conditions of the people - especially the poor and vulnerable groups - as per their needs and priorities.

Chapter 6:Discusses some easy to understand technical aspects of common MGNREGS works placed in the overall context of Watershed Development. This helps the BPT to understand the local context and facilitate planning.

Chapter 7:Provides information on Convergence between MGNREGA staff and resources and staff and resources related to other government schemes and programmes and how work and achievement under MGNREGS can be enhanced through Convergence.

Chapter 8Covers the preparation and processes involved in conducting a gram Sabha which is the last step in the IPPE. This chapter also seeks to address some of the concerns around conflicts that may arise during the gram Sabha but also the IPPE as a whole.

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Chapter 1Status of MNREGA

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) was passed by the Parliament in 2005 to provide the right to wage employment for 100 days to every rural household in the country. While there were employment programmes run by the government before the passing of the MGNREGA, these were run as schemes where the administration had a duty to provide employment but people did not have a right to demand and get employment.

MGNREGA has four major objectives:

1. Provision of Wage employment to Rural Workers2. Creation of Assets for Strengthening Rural Livelihoods3. Strengthening participatory local governance by empowering Gram Panchayats to

plan and implement works. 4. Strengthening transparency and accountability through inbuilt Mechanisms

After 8 years of it being implemented, has the report card for MGNREGA been good? On some points MGNREGA seems to have done very well indeed. Large numbers of rural households have got employment. On the average about 5 crore households got employment every year. The quantity of employment generated is more than any other employment programme in the past. Since the inception of MGNREGA, it has generated 250 crore persondays of employment. It is indeed the largest employment programme anywhere in the world. Something that we can be really proud of.

Compared to previous employment programmes, MGNREGS has provided greater power to Panchayats to decide what work is to be done and to implement them. Compared to previous employment schemes MGNREGA has surely ensured greater transparency and accountability. It has linked large numbers of households to banks. About 10 crore new bank accounts have been opened on account of payment of MGNREGS wages through banks.

On the negative side, wages have often been delayed and in some areas wages have been really low as compared to the wages notified for the state for MGNREGA. Often people do not even know that they can get work on demand and they wait for works to open instead of demanding to get work. There are also questions about the assets create through MGNREGA. Has the quality of assets under MGNREGS been up to the mark? Have the assets addressed the needs of the poorest households? These are key areas that need to be looked at. But it’s also important to ask if plans have been really prepared by the villagers through participatory processes? Or have they been prepared by officials?

Are we happy with the performance in these areas? Can there be improvement? Every year we get the opportunity to plan for MGNREGA work for our Panchayats and villages. Can we this year try to make the plans better? Participatory planning can improve both the quality of the assets and the choice and location of assets from the perspective of the poor and vulnerable communities and households. Can we this year plan enough good quality work so that everyone who wants work in our villages and Panchayats get employment on work that

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provides good wages while creating assets that improve the income and livelihoods of our people –especially the poor?

The workers of rural India suffer from long periods of unemployment. This leads to large scale migration as well as low wage rates, especially during periods of low demand for labour. While it is true that during peak agricultural season there is demand for labourers, with farmers often not getting workers for agricultural work, it is also true that outside the agricultural season there is widespread and deep unemployment. Even small farmers migrate to other areas to work as daily wage labourers. MGNREGA seeks to address this directly in terms of providing wage employment when there is lack of it and also to create assets that create and strengthen livelihoods or enhance living conditions of the people – especially the poor.

India has the second largest population and the second largest population of workers in the world. Our workers are our resource. If we can use their labour power in a planned and productive manner, our villages can have employment throughout the year. People may still want to migrate because they want better incomes but let’s create conditions that they do not have to migrate on account of distress.

Our workers comprise of not only the young, but also the elderly people. In our villages those with various kinds of disabilities also want to work and large numbers them work as wage labourers. Of course very often they are paid lesser wages or remain unemployed because employers are not willing to employ them or are willing to do so only if they accept lower wages. In large parts of our country women are paid lower wages than men. MGNREGS seeks to provide employment to women, to the elderly and to persons with disability and pay them equal wages.

Our plans therefore have to keep in mind the following:

1. Households dependent on wage employment get work through MGNREGS. Especially in months when there is lack of other employment.

2. Women, Elderly and Vulnerable people are able to get employment and equal wages.

3. Assets created through MGNREGA are of good quality and enhance the livelihoods or living conditions of the people – especially the poor and the vulnerable. Some assets can achieve both.

4. People decide their needs and priorities after understanding the potential of MNREGA

5. Gram panchayats once capacitated to function as institutions for the poor become capable of preparing participatory plan for poverty reduction and local development.

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Chapter 2Need for participatory planning

Why this Intensive Participatory Planning Exercise (IPPE)?

It is easily understood that the people of a village know better than any outsider about what their situation is, what their problems are and what can be done to addrees their problems and improve their situation. That is why participatory planning has been understood by the government as the basic cornerstone of rural development. Of course knoweldge and techniques from external technical personnel and those who have done similar works in other places can be very useful. But the right as well as the duty to plan for MGNREGA work for a Panchayat or a villages lies with its people – especially those who want to work under MGNREGA.

The stress on ‘participation’ in planning has been made in various MNREGA policy documents. Para 7 of Schedule I of the Act clearly mandates that there shall be a systematic, participatory planning exercise at each tier of Panchayat, conducted between August to December month of every year, as per a detailed methodology laid down by the State Government. All works to be executed by the Gram Panchayats shall be identified and placed before the Gram Sabha, and such works which are to be executed by the intermediate Panchayats or other implementing agencies shall be placed before the intermediate or District Panchayats, along with the expected outcomes. Chapter 6 of the operational guidelines also lays down elaborate procedures on how the planning exercise will take place.

In spite of the law and guidelines laying down the participatory planning process quite clearly, only a few states prepare annual plans and the labour budget in the true spirit of the Act. The IPPE therefore is effort to deepen participation in the planning process for MNREGA by providing hands on support to states to build the capacity of field functionaries and community volunteers to build a people’s plan for every village and GP in 2500 most backward blocks across the country. Your Block and GP has been selected for this process and the effectiveness of MGNREGA in the country depends greatly on how well you are able to prepare the plans for your Panchayat and villages.

Before the steps of the IPPE are outlined, it is important to understand what we mean by participation? What are some of the core principles of participation and how is this different from other planning processes?

What are the features of participatory planning?

Participatory planning is an approach and a methodology which helps identify community problems and to plan solutions with the active participation of community members.This methodology facilitates the identification, preparation and design of community projects based on the reality and criteria of its members. It is not merely a method of ‘consulting’ the community but bringing their contributions to the very centre of the planning process. In short it is a people-centric process that puts the poorest first.

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Some key features and benefits of participation over conventional planning methods:

Mobilises the community to understand the situation, resolve their own problems and raises consciousness of their rights and entitlements

Informs people of the possibilities for planning and executing local development interventions and they identify their development needs-collective and individual

Norms or criteria such extent of benefits, cost efficiency, prioritisation etc are collectively arrived at

Promotes greater inclusiveness by using techniques that are easily accessible and understood.

It builds trust and understanding between different groups in a community by creating spaces for each perspective to be heard

Promotes greater transparency since members are involved in collective decision making where all members get a chance to comments on proposals, criticize and revise

It acknowledges power differentials within the community and ensures that the voice of the ‘last is heard first’ and that these voices are reflected in the way plans are prepared and also prioritized

It is not a stand-alone process but leads to increased participation in implementation and oversight

It teaches skills which last beyond the planning process. People learn to run meetings, to analyse data, to construct strategic plans - in short, to become community resource persons and leaders.

Shifts control of development from a few to the larger community and increases ownership

Increases the credibility of the projects that are taken up because they have emerged from a collective decision making process

The participatory approach to planning described above will be the cornerstone of the IPPE as well.

As you are doing Participatory Planning in your gram panchayat and villages, people across 2500 of India’s poorest blocks are also doing similar planning. This is being conducted in a campaign mode by the States across the selected blocks. As a part of this:

There will be intensive door to door exercise covering all SC, ST, Women, Persons with Disability and other vulnerable groups to express their demand for work.

Block Planning Teams (BPT) identified for every Block will facilitate participatoryplanning exercise for every GP through Village/Hamlet/Ward participatory planning processes.

This plan will then be passed at the Gram Sabha following which administrative sanctions will be accorded to it

The objective behind this Intensive Participatory Planning Process is to ensure that the works that are taken up under MGNREGA are the ones that are most needed by the community and to ensure that people living in these blocks secure a means of livelihood support through creation of assets desirable to them.

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What are the key steps in the planning process?

Who will conduct the IPPE?

The success of the entire IPPE depend on a number of key actors and stakeholders. Each will play a facilitation role in what is fundamentally participatory exercise. The illustration below will help you place yourselves in the group of actors who will facilitate the IPPE.

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Step 1: Orientation meetingsMeeting of Block Officials conducted by charge officer for allocation of responsibilities and to initiate identification of BPT Members from among youth of Workers' Households.Meeting of Block Officials and the identified BPT Members followed by training of BPT Members and Block OfficialsOrientation Meeting of elected heads of Gram Panchayats, Members of Block Level Panchayat, and GP/Block Level functionaries of community based organisations. The meeting will finalise the Block Level IPPE Calendar.Step 2: First visit to GPBPT and Block Officials explain IPPE to all Elected members of the Gram PanchayatGram Panchayat facilitates a meeting of the BPT with Elected Representatives and identified members of People's Institutions. Meeting identifies local contact persons for villages/hamlets/wards and finalises IPPE Calendar for GP. Step 3: nderstanding the communityOpening discussion in public meeting at the ward/hamlet/village levelFGDs with Key Stakeholders, undertaking Social Mapping, Amenities Mapping, Resource Mapping, Transect Walk, Household Survey for Identified Most Vulnerable Households, Seasonality Analysis, Problem Analysis.Step 4: Planning for developmentVisioning exercise for Village Development through MGNREGSIdentification of MGNREGS Work through FGDs with stakeholders and transect walksPrioritising of works at the ward/hamlet/village levelMatching Works to Demand for EmploymentStep 5: Presentation of planFirst at the sub-panchayat levelFinal prioritisation and approval in gram sabhaIPPEWorkers

Chapter 3: Preparatory Activities for Facilitating Participatory Planning

Before proceeding to a Panchayat for facilitating Participatory Planning some preparatory work needs to be finished.

1. The Block level MGNREGS Officials and BPT Members must have shared understanding and clarity of purpose and functions. The trained BPT Members would have a first post training meeting with:

a. The MGNREGS functionaries of the Block and Gram Panchayats b. Functionaries of line departments like agriculture, fisheries, horticulture,

animal husbandry and irrigation

2. Before the BPT goes to the Panchayats, an orientation cum planning meeting should be held to orient all the important stakeholders and to develop the calendar for the Block Level IPPE Process. This meeting should have the following participants

i. Block and GP Level MGNREGS Functionaries, ii. Elected heads of Gram Panchayats,

iii. Elected members of the Block Level Panchayat, iv. Identified leaders of Community Based Organisations –especially

those that have block level federationsv. Members of the Block Planning Team

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Outputs of the Block Level Orientation Meeting1. Shared Understanding about the Process and Timelines and clarification of doubts2. Discussion around livelihood-enhancing intensive planning through MGNREGA.3. Discussion on need for NRM-based planning, and possible land-based treatment for that

particular area (topography).4. Preparation of Final Calendar for Panchayat Planning Process5. List of leaders of Panchayat Level Institutions of women, youth, farmers, workers and so

on to be invited to the launch process. 6. Date of the Launch Meeting

Agenda and Output of the Block Level MGNREGS Officials Meeting

A presentation on participatory planning and opportunities of farm-based livelihood-enhancement through MGNREGA will be made in the meeting. There should also be a discussion on the building sustainable livelihoods through NRM-based activities. This meeting would need to come up with the following outcome and outputs:

a. Shared Understanding about the Process and Timelines and clarification of doubts

b. Constitution of Teams and Allocation of Panchayatsc. Preparation of calendar for Panchayat Planning Process including gram sabha

datesd. Allocation of Responsibilities among Block and Panchayat Level functionaries

to support organising of the planning process and logistics around the same.

3. The Panchayat Members and the Villagers must be aware in advance that a Participatory Planning Process is going to be facilitated in their village/panchayat. For this Various IEC activities need to be carried out as outlined below

a. Pamphlets, Posters, Banners, Wall Writings and Hoardingsb. Appeals by Chief Ministers and Ministers through News Papers, Television

and Radio c. Letters to Gram Panchayats and Elected Representatives by District

Magistrates and senior officials of MGNREGS d. Development and use of Slogans promoting the IPPE (e.g. HamaraGaon,

HamaraVikas, HamaraYojna) e. Mike Announcements, Pad Yatras, Kala Jathas and other folk art forms, in

Haats and other gatherings.

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Designing and implementing effective awareness activities

The message of the IPPE must reach the primary stakeholders of MNREGA - the community as a whole and vulnerable sections in particular. This can be achieved by developing an effective IEC strategy. For this purpose successful Information Education and Communication (IEC) tools are to be identified, designed and brought into use. Emphasis shall be given to undertake location/ area specific IEC tools. While carrying out IEC activities care should be taken to ensure that messages are communicated using local idioms to increase effectiveness. Some IEC tools that can be used are listed in the box. Wherever necessary the same may be customized to suit the locality and community. The charge officer will ensure that IEC material is made available to the BPT in adequate quantities and in time.

Do you think the BPT itself can do a Padyatra as an IEC Activity? In that case it may require a Banner that can be carried by two members. It may also make some placards that individual members can carry.

Preparing the status paper on MNREGA implementation in the GP

This is to be prepared by the implementation team of MGNREGS at the GP level using MIS reports. The charge officer will be responsible for ensuring this with the help of the Block level MIS personnel and the respective GRS or other staff in charge of implementing MGNREGS in the Gram Panchayat. The status paper should reflect the details of HHs registered, employment demanded, employment provided, list of completed, ongoing and abandoned works along with their locations and status of progress. The information should be disaggregated on Social Group (Caste/Tribe), Gender, Disability and Age

This will give a picture, in one glance, of the untapped potential of the programme and to understand the extent to which the programme has benefitted the community as a whole and to the vulnerable community in particular. This analysis will create a constructive environment for planning the programme more effectively in the years to come and to increase the participation of vulnerable groups (Format given in table 3 below)

Before conducting any meetings, the BPT must sit down and discuss this status paper thoroughly so they are all familiar with the conditions of the panchayat where the will be conducting the planning process.

4. The Block Planning Teams must have their Planning Facilitation Kits

a. Allocation List of Gram Panchayats and Calendar for visits. b. Necessary secondary information about the allocated Panchayat. This has

to be prepared by the GRS with support from the Block Level MIS Official.c. Posters / Pamphlets and other Publicity Materials such as Bannersd. The Planning Handbook (This book)e. Notebook, Pen and Supplies for Participatory Exercises: (such as chart

papers, A4 Sheets, Marker Pens, Bindis etc.f. Information Sheet on Roles and Responsibilities of officials as regards the

IPPE Process at the Gram Panchayat Level

Participatory Planning In the Gram Panchayat

First meeting in the GP

The First Visit of the block planning team to a Gram Panchayat should be facilitated by the PRI Functionaries (or the equivalent in areas where the Three Tier Panchayat raj System is not functional). This is the meeting in which the Team gets introduced to the important stakeholders of the Panchayat and presents its roadmap for the planning process.

It is imperative to express at this stage that the planning process is owned by the people of the Panchayat and the BPT will merely facilitate the process through having interactions and exercises with different stakeholders in the Panchayat. The first meeting therefore needs to have participation from all the significant stakeholders that the BPT wants to interact over the next few days.

The BPT can present its analysis of the situation of MGNREGS in the Gram Panchayat focussing on potential for greater employment, better assets, completion rate, employment of women and vulnerable groups, thus locating the need for the Participatory Planning Process in this context.

Introducing MNREGA, issues and bottlenecks faced, clarification of ‘act’ and ‘scheme’, employment and asset creation aspects of the programme, process of planning of works, estimation of demand, permissible works, prospective of MGNREGS in enhancing the livelihood and the support provided by the scheme in agriculture and horticulture activities, conservation and protection of natural resources etc can be explained. There can be a discussion on the need for natural resource management, and the possible treatment of land for improving the productivity. Failure to capture the rain water and also to check the soil erosion needs to be focused on.

Important dates such as the period the BPT will conduct the survey in the village and that of the gram sabha should also be communicated during the launch meetings. Care shall be taken that all communication is kept simple and in layperson’s language.

During the introductory interaction the BPT Sub Team can begin to map out the demographic pattern of the Gram Panchayat with focus on the hamlets where the vulnerable communities (such as SC, ST, and PTGs) reside as well as to obtain information on SHGs and other institutions of occupational groups such as farmers groups, dairy

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cooperatives and so on. The Participatory Planning process will also include interaction with such groups at the ward/ hamlet/ village level (i.e. the smallest habitation unit identified for

This is a list of members who can be invited to the introductory meeting. The Block/BPT may want to add to this list as per the local context. Stakeholders to be Invited to Panchayat Introduction MeetingElected Head of the Gram PanchayatPanchayat’s representative in Intermediate Panchayats Ward Members of all GPsRozgarSevak and other Functionaries of the Gram PanchayatElected Chief Functionaries of Village/GP Level SHG FederationsElected Chief Functionaries of Village/GP Level Farmers’ OrganisationsElected Chief Functionaries of Village/GP Level Workers’ OrganisationsElected Chief Functionaries of Village/GP Level Milk CooperativesElected Chief Functionary/Representative of Youth Clubs

IPPE).

The role of SHGs in helping the BPT in community mobilization needs to be mentioned. And a detailed plan with SHG representatives on how they can contribute to the planning process should be discussed. Along with PRI representatives, they should also take responsibility of mobilizing community members for the hamlet-level meetings.

The Planning process for a Gram Panchayat can be completed only after all villages and wards have had an opportunity to prepare their plans. It is necessary at the introductory meeting itself that a deadline is set for the Planning Process by which all the Wards/Hamlets/Villages have to come up with their plans for presentation at the Gram Sabha. Given the time constraints as well as the vulnerability focus of the IPPE, not all the wards/villages can be covered by the BPT in an intensive manner. The BPT may therefore have to prioritise habitations and allocate more time to the more vulnerable habitations

By the end of the meeting the following outcome and outputs should have been achieved:

1. The BPT Sub Team would have familiarised itself to the members present at the meeting and explained to them the purpose of the Planning Process. The PRI representatives should own the planning process.

2. The BPT Sub Team would have facilitated the finalisation of a calendar for visiting different hamlets/villages/wards.

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3. The BPT Sub Team would have come up with a list of principal contact persons for each hamlet/village/ward

4. The BPT Sub Team would have arrived at a first list of local youth/SHG members who’d assist the BPT Sub Team in the planning process.

5. The PRI members should have decided a date for the holding of the final Gram Sabha at which Village/Hamlet/Ward level plans will be presented for ratification.

6. The SHG representatives should have finalized a plan for mobilizing community members for the concept-seeding meeting.

First meeting at the village/hamlet/ward Level

The first visit to an identified hamlet/village/ward would be based on the calendar developed at the Introductory Gram Panchayat Meeting. The ward member/s and the youth/SHG members identified by the BPT Sub Team for assisting the planning process should have already intimated the visit plan of the Team. The team should have collected and analysed details of MGNREGS employment for the village/hamlet/ward before visiting it.

The first interaction could be an open meeting, followed by different group level exercises that are part of the planning process (discussed in the next few chapters). During the first interaction, the Team should share about the status of MGNREGS employment in the Village/Hamlet/Ward in the context of the Gram Panchayat, the Block, District, State and National context. The discussion can focus on the potential of improving both employment as well as asset creation and asset quality through better planning for MGNREGS.

The Team can facilitate the discussion so that villagers are able to share the key issues they are facing as regards the implementation of MGNREGS in their village. The discussion can focus on employment, quality& utility of assets and the way the decision regarding assets planning were taken. The BPT could try to bring out if the villager, especially the vulnerable groups,s played a role in deciding the work that was carried out, the timing of the work and the selection of workers.Care shall be taken that all communication is kept simple and in layperson’s language.

Orientation of principal contact persons/local facilitators

By the end of the first meeting at the Village Level, the BPT Sub Team should have been able to identify the local resource persons who’ll work closely with them over the Understanding-Planning-Prioritising Phases. After the introductory open meeting, the Sub Team could conduct an orientation session for such people at the same venue. Of course this should not be a closed meeting and should be open to anyone who wants to sit. However the sub team should ensure that those who it thinks are critical for the process also attend. They should be given a brief orientation by the BPT Sub Team members to cover

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During the general processes at the Village/ Hamlet/ Ward level, the BPT Sub Team needs to facilitate the participation of women and other vulnerable groups. Apart from this, it must also have separate Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with such groups.

the basic provisions of the Act, the IPPE and their role during the planning process. They should also have a shared understanding about the time available to complete the IPPE process for the Hamlet/ Village/ Ward.

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Chapter 4

Understanding the community, mapping of needs and estimation of demand

The first step towards the planning process is to understand the community. It must be remembered that the process involves not only the BPT gaining an understanding of the community, but also the community itself understanding itself better.

While MGNREGS is meant for all, it’d be a sad thing if it did not provide employment and assets to the poorest and the most vulnerable. Understanding the community therefore implies an understanding the conditions of different households and groups. Are the vulnerable communities (SC/ST/PTG) able to demand and get work? Are they able to plan and get good quality and useful community assets?Are they able to get individual assets that they are eligible for? Are vulnerable Households (e.g. woman headed) and Individuals (e.g. PWD) able to get employment and assets? Understanding the community means understanding that different households and different individuals have different needs.It is important to understand their need for employment and their need for assets that can be created through MGNREGS (independently or in convergence).

The key outputs from the tools used to understand the community are therefore:

1. Vulnerable Communities2. Vulnerable Households3. Their current status in terms of MGNREGS Employment and Assets4. Their current resource ownership and control (community & individual)

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Non-Negotiable principles for participatory planning MNREGA

The process with the community should begin with explanations and seeking their permission.

Timing and pace should be governed by local context of separate sections of the community.

Recognise that different groups, as defined locally by age, gender, well-being, ethnicity, religion, caste, language etc. have different perspectives.

Any knowledge and experience of the community or villagers should be respected

Facilitator team should use this planning process as an opportunity of learning

Be Open ,honest and transparent about the objectives of the MNREGA planning process with all community sections

Not interrupting, not lecturing, but being a good, active listener; during the planning process

Respect the fact that information is generated by local people and so ask their permission to document, remove, and use information. When possible, ensure that original diagrams and copies of reports remain in the community.

Handing over the stick, i.e., passing the initiatives and responsibility to others;

They can do it, empowering others through confidence in their

5. Their need for MGNREGS Employment with seasonality of need6. Their need for Assets in terms of community and individual assets

Key activities

A. Social Map

The Social Map at the Village/Hamlet/Ward level will present information regarding the different households residing in the location with information on vulnerability category depicted through symbols and/or colours. It will plot type of house, identify vulnerable HHs (SC,ST, Women headed HH, PWD HH and other groups listed in the box below). It will also depict information relating to the MGNREGS registration, employment and individual asset creation status. The mapping process will itself have discussion regarding the status of MGNREGS. But once the map is prepared, there can be Focus Group Discussion with vulnerable households on the possible use of MGNREGS to reduce short term as well as long term vulnerability through employment and asset creation.

The same map will also depict amenities available in the area such as roads, important institutions and landmarks. The amenities mapping process can be used to discuss the potential of MGNREGS by plotting current assets and the need and potential to develop new ones.

Making a social map

A social map is a map that is drawn by the residents and which shows the layout of residential houses, institutions and amenities found in an area. It also helps us to learn about social and economic differences between the households.

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Objectives:To learn about the households and their location in the village/hamlet/wardTo learn about the socio-economic pattern in the village and the social, economic, gender and ability related differences among the householdsTo learn about the social institutions and the different views local people might have regarding those institutions.

Key Questions: How many households are found in the village and

where are they located? How many HH have job cards? How many days of employment has each HH

received in the past year? What are the institutions and amenities found in

the village and where? Are there specific parts where specific social groups

(such as SCs, STs, OBCs, Others and Minorities) live. Which are the households that come under

‘Paragraph 5’ eligibility for Individual Assets? Which are the Landless households? Which are the

small/marginal farmer households? Which are the wage labour dependent households?

Which families migrate regularly? Which are the female Headed Households and

other vulnerable groups like PwDs, old age, landless, Which are the assets that have been previously created under MNREGA?

How to facilitate1:1. Introduce yourself and the purpose of/ or focus of the map to all participants.2. Ask the participants to draw a map of the village, showing all households. Different types of

Houses can be marked in different colours (e.g. Pucca Building, Pucca-IAY, Semi Pucca, Kutcha). For location and orientation it is good to draw roads and significant spots of the village into the map. Different types of road (e.g. Cement Concrete, Kutcha, Black topped) should be marked in different colours. Sometimes the local community members may take time to draw a map or make errors while drawing. Even in such cases the facilitation team should not take it upon itself to draw the map themselves.

3. Ensure that each household has a number, and name other details (demography, vulnerability etc.) are documented by the documenter during the exercise.

4. Ask the group to indicate important institutions and amenities such as Schools, AWC, places of worship and other significant landmarks.

5. Encourage the group to discuss and show on the map specific areas that are inhabited by specific communities.

6. Symbols & Colours can be used to mark location of vulnerable households / individuals.

1Source: adapted from FAO’s PRA tool box, “Conducting a PRA Training and Modifying PRA Tools to Your Needs.”

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Schedule I of MGNREGA

Works creating Individual assets shall prioritised on land or homestead owned by households belonging to the:1. Scheduled Castes2. Scheduled Tribes3. Nomadic Tribes4. Denotified Tribes5. Other Families below the Poverty Line6. Women Headed Households7. Physically Handicapped Headed Household8. Beneficiaries of Land Reforms9. The beneficiaries under the Indira Awaas

Yojana10. Beneficiaries under the Scheduled Tribes

and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006 (2 of 2007), and

After exhausting the eligible beneficiaries under the above categories, on the lands of small or marginal farmers.

7. Make sure that your copy of the map has a key (legend) explaining the meaning of different colours and symbols used in the map.

8. During the entire process, take care that once somebody has given a statement, you ask the others whether they agree, disagree or want to add something.

9. Make sure that the objective of having all households shown on the map will be achieved.10. Once the map is drawn on the ground (preferably), one of the facilitators should copy it on

to a chart paper for display and further use. Subsequently it can be copied fairly on to an A4 Sheet or A3 Sheet as available and suitable for inclusion in the village output file.

11. The map must contain the name of the village, direction, legend, name of the key participants and name of the facilitators.

12. At the end of the exercise the facilitators should extend thanks to the participants for their time and participation.

Team Composition: There must be one facilitator, one observer and one documenter and one person for copying. In any case each sub team facilitating social map should not have less than 3 members.

Material needed as per need: Drawing on soft ground: Coloured powders, sticks and other local material Drawing on cemented / hard floor: Coloured Chalks, and other local material Drawing on Chart Paper: Large Sized Chart Paper, Pencils, Permanent Markers, Sketch

Pens, Bindis, and other material as appropriate

Time: 1.5-2 hours

B. Seasonality mapping

Life and Livelihoods in villages of India vary from season to season. There are seasons when there is a lot of agricultural work and wage employment availability. There are seasons when seasonal produce are available from forests or other common property resources. These are times when the need for MGNREGS work is less. There are lean seasons when neither agricultural nor common property based livelihoods are available. These are times when MGNREGS employment can be of much more significance. But even the traditional agricultural season also has gaps and it’d be wrong to assume, for instance, that the entire monsoon period is of adequate local employment availability. In many parts of India the period from early September to the middle of October is a period of hunger.

Just as availability of employment and livelihood varies from season to season, the potential for MGNREGS work too varies. Thus even if there is a lot of demand for work in the month of September, it’d be difficult in large parts of India to do any excavation work. Similarly even if lots of people wanted to do plantation work in the month of May, it’d simply not be the season for it.

Seasonality Analysis of Wage Employment and other Livelihoods as well as of possibilities of undertaking MGNREGS Works is thus critical to match demand for employment to supply of MGNREGS Works.

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The discussion on Seasonality can be facilitated through creating a calendar depicting months and seasons. It is of course important to use the names of seasons and months as locally used by people. These can subsequently be roughly approximated to the English Calendar for Planning MGNREGS Works.

Seasonality of livelihoods and employment could vary between different communities and between women and men. For instance among forest neighbouring communities, ST households and especially women, might be having greater dependence on Non Timber Forest Produce and thus NTFP Season, e.gMahua Flower Collection or TenduPatta Collection, may be of lower MGNREGS employment demand from them. Thus while discussing seasonality, care has to be taken that the opinions of different communities and women are included. Alternatively, especially if there is time available, separate seasonality discussions can be had with such groups. Eventually, this information would ascertain the availability of seasonal labour and will help in the planning of work. The following are examples of what Seasonality Chart could look like.

Example of a seasonal calendar for Livelihood

Occupation/Month Agriculture

WageEm-ployment Migration

MGNREGA Works

Forest Resources

Chaitr Baisakh Jesth Asarhl Sharavan Bhado

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How to make a seasonality map

Introduce the purpose of the seasonality map (5 minutes)

Ask the participants how local people divide the year.

Don’t impose western calendar if this does not reflect indigenous seasonal categories.

Take the variables such as agriculture, wage employment, migration, MGNREGA work, forest resources etc. in the left side

Focus attention on one particular variable and encourage people to plot this on the calendar using drawing symbols or objects. Eg; Labor demand, questions like: determine the 4 least busy months, lean period, the busiest month, etc.

If the calendar is prepared on the floor, there is plenty of space for symbols and resources.

Material needed: Whatever comes to hand, paper and pen to make final recreation of the map

Dos and don’ts: Let the community construct the calendar rather

than directing the process. Encourage them to add more questions using

trigger questions. It is possible to discuss the calendar afterwards

and develop more information that meets your own agenda.

Ashwin Kartik Agan Poush Magh Phagun

Example of a seasonal calendar for MGNREGS Work Opportunities

MGNREGS Work/Month

Water Conservation & Water Harvesting

Land Development

Rural Connect-ivity

Rural Sanitation Plantation

Chaitr Baisakh Jesth Asarhl Sharavan Bhado Ashwin Kartik Agan Poush Magh Phagun

Potential Month

Not Potential Month

Other Month (Fifty Fifty)

C. Door to door survey at the habitation level

Estimation of demand through door-to-door survey will be conducted for the categories of families listed in the box below. Maximum effort shall be taken to do this process comprehensively without any household being left out. The household survey will be based on the list of households provided from the MIS after including left out households as identified during the Social Mapping Process.BPT will receive the list of households from the Block. This will be ensured by the Charge Officer. These are the lists that the BPT needs:

1. List of all Job Card Holders2. List of all Census Households3. List of all BPL Households4. List of all Antyodaya Households5. List of recipients Old Age, Widow and Disability Pension6. List of all IAY Beneficiaries (at least the last ten years)7. List of FRA Beneficiaries

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These lists will form the base of the household survey to be undertaken by the BPT members. However the BPT is not primarily a survey team but a team facilitating the participatory planning exercise. Thus its first interaction with the village should not be as a survey team. They’ll initiate the survey of households only after they have carried out the Social Mapping Process and identified vulnerable households from the Social Mapping process.

Thus after the Social Mapping Process BPT Sub Team shall ensure that it is able to physically meet the following households:

1. Job Card Holders falling under Category 5 Households List2. Households identified as Category 5 Households but not having Job Cards3. Households identified as vulnerable by the villagers whether or not having job cards

or falling under Category 5 households list

As part of the door to door survey, the facilitator will collect information the existing livelihood and the nature of works households intend to do in order to complement their livelihood. The survey will also collect information on land holding, job card number, profile of the registered members especially that of special categories like women, persons with disability, the elderly etc.

It is important to capture the nature of work vulnerable groups would like to be engaged in and thereby get an idea about their priorities of works that should be taken up. The details of permissible activities as per category A to D in the revised schedule 1 (detailed in the next chapter) which can be done on private land and common works that will benefit the vulnerable community shall also be ascertained through door to door survey.

For the door to door survey format and summary report please see annexure

D. Resource mapping

Social Mapping provides information regarding the human resource of the village and the nature of this resource. The demand for employment from this human resource sets the financial boundary of MGNREGS work in the village. The more the persondays available, the more the work that can be done. However, the work that can be done is also dependent on the physical resources available to the village. Resource Mapping is undertaken to map out the nature and extent of this resource. Like Social Mapping that helps us understand the people of a village, Resource mapping helps us to understand the physical resources at the command of the village.

The map would show land and water bodies based on their use as well as geographical features. Thus under land it would show agricultural land, orchards, forest,grazing land and other local land categories. Similarly water bodies would also be categorisedas ponds, streams,

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canals, open wells, bore wells etc. The map should also show physical formations such as ridge lines and drainage pattern and categorise land as upland, low land etc.

These maps will be created for a habitation/ward/village.The resource map can be of two levels. One could be a general resource map portraying the different resources to which the residents of the village/hamlet/ward have varying degrees of access and control. Thus there could be resources that come under open access to common property, to private. At a greater level of detailing, there could be resource maps depicting private land used for some form of primary production (agriculture/horticulture/pasture/pisciculture, etc.) as well as resource maps depicting common property resources such as forests, grazing land. The discussion around these resource maps can be about potential for improving productivity of these lands or reducing vulnerability of these lands through use of MGNREGS. The ongoing and other incomplete works also need to be identified and shown on the relevant maps. Such works should also be categorised between those whose completion is of value to the community and those which it is best to abandon.

There can be following types of resource maps (based on different types of maps) that can be used for identification of patch and type of treatment required:

1. Cadastral map:revenue village map that you get it from a patwari. This is a resource map of the panchayat that has been drawn over the cadastral map of the village.

b) Toposheet:a depiction of contours in a water shed area. Contour line is a line joining point of the same elevation. Toposheets are generally used to draw watershed area from map.

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c) Sketch map:drawn by community based upon their own wisdom

Steps involved in resource mapping

Preparatory Activities

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1. Collect the Revenue Maps of the target villages. You can get it from the Charge Officer who can either give it to you or guide you as regards where to get it. Photocopies of the different sheets can be joined to prepare a village map.

2. Carry Material required for drawing Resource Map on the earth / floor or Chart Papers3. Identify 2-3 persons from the village/hamlet who have knowledge and understanding

about revenue map and land.

Preparing the Map in the Village

1. Convene a meeting at a central point in the habitation and share the purpose of this mapping exercise in the meeting.

2. The following are the major steps:a. Step 1 – lay out village boundaryb. Step 2 – mark out directionsc. Step 3 – draw major rivers, existing NRM assetsd. Step 4 – refine by drawing out patches of land (either by

patta/community/soil/crop)with the help of the community.3. Start the mapping with rangoli on the floor. Indicate different land patches - its soil,

different crops cultivated by villagers; water streams etc. While resource mapping being done on floor by villagers, simultaneously try to draw the same on A2 size chart paper as permanent reference.

4. Villagers generally identify patches of land by local name by the deity they worship, name of big land owner in that plot, name of local nallaha passing by etc. Ask people to divide the entire village revenue land into such commonly termed patch names. Entire village boundary may be divided into prominent 10-12 plots. Generally villagers divide these patches by their common characteristics like type of soil/slope, crops being cultivated their etc.

5. Also try to overlap the type of patches with the lands being cultivated by poor people in the village Take chart papers and make 10-12 pieces as per the no of patches identified by the villagers. Write down the names of patches on these piece of chart papers.

6. With the villagers sitting over there, do PRA exercises by which assembly have to classify the patches in three types; better-off, medium and inferior patches. Generally better-off patches would have irrigated double/triple cropped land. Mostly it is owned by better-off people from the villages. Medium patches would have land-holding from medium class people. There are patches which are not degraded and have potential to make them better yielding with bit of investment on land and water treatment and availability of irrigation resource. And inferior patches would

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generally be owned by poor people. It needs lot of investment to make these patches yielding.

7. Members of the community should mark out other common resources of the village like ponds, wells, jungle, a place of worship etc. this mapping brings important resource represented on a single page helping all including facilitators – who are generally external to village realities – take an informed choice of interventions.

8. Delineate the drainage line and slope on the village map with help of the selected villagers. Ask the community how they categorise their different kinds of lands and then accordingly denote different types of lands in different colors e.g. green colour for low land. An index for the different colors used is provided on the lower right hand corner of the map itself.

9. Identify the local patches in the map. Circle these clusters of plots with a colour pen. Simultaneously, note down the patch name and numbers on a piece of paper.

a. Where maps are not available, google map can be printed out on A2 paper and overlay it with graph/tracing paper.

10. Discuss how MGNREGA funds should be prioritised to improve productivity of the lands of small and marginal farmers and create common assets for the village.

11. If people prioritise investment on inferior of medium type of land then planning on such plots can be done. Exhaustive list of patta no and corresponding owners to be prepared in those selected 1 or 2 patches and you can suggest possible treatment in those lands.

E. Transect Walk

What is a transect walk?

Resource Mapping and Social Mapping give us an idea of the layout of the habitation and the resources available to it. Transect Walk gives us an actual feel of the habitation as well as the resources. For instance a transect walk in the habitation area would give an idea of housing conditions, sanitation and nature of amenities available in the village. Similarly a transect across agricultural fields can provide an idea about land use, drainage, soil quality and so on. It is better to do transect walks after basic resource map / social map are prepared. That way it helps in triangulation. It also helps in moving forward from problem identification to natural resources management and planning as well as planning for public and household amenities.

Materials and time required

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Two to three hours. Large sheets of paper, markers, notebooks/paper and pens are needed to make a copy of the diagram and also for the note-taker to record the discussion generated during the diagram development. If the diagram is drawn on the ground, then a large area will be needed, as well as a range of objects such as sticks, stone, leaves, seeds, and so on that the analysts can use to represent features on the diagram. The group will include a facilitator, observer/note-taker, and selected informants from the village.

How is the transect walk to be conducted?

Explain the purpose of the transect to the people. In consultation with the community members, define the list of indicators that will be analysed during the walk. Involve them in the decision-making process regarding the transect path you should take.

Identify a group of local people having some knowledge of the area and who are willing to walk with you for the exercise. Make sure that representatives from vulnerable groups are included in the exercise.

Let the people show you their village by following the transect path that was agreed upon. Explain that the route does not have to be straight, but can meander if necessary. Also carry the list of parameters and preferably the resource map for the walk. It is a useful reference during observation and discussions en route.

Observe the surroundings. Encourage people to explain things as you move. Take detailed notes.

If necessary, stop at certain locations for detailed discussions on emerging issues. Use this opportunity to clarify issues emerging from the social map, resource map and other methods.

After returning, draw the transect on a large sheet of paper. Let the local people take the lead in drawing the transect diagram. Use your notes and the notes of other members of the transect team while making the diagram.

Show the transect to others in the locality and ask them to give their opinion.

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What kinds of transect route is most appropriate?

There are different types of transect paths. The most common one will have you walk from a high point to a low point. Another one will be a straight line from one extreme point of the area to the other. To get a more detailed view of the area, one can also choose to undertake an S-shaped transect walk. Facilitators can use available social or resource maps to select the transect path. Other regular maps of the village can also be used if necessary. While marking out the path for the transect, the guiding principle should be to capture maximum diversity and details within the limitations of time and physical access.

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Chapter 5

Identification of works and prioritization of people’s needs

What can be planned to be undertaken through MGNREGS depends on the permissible list of works under MGNREGS and the resources available for MGNREGS work. The list of permissible works is provided in the next chapter. This list must be shared with the people before planning of works can begin. Similarly the principles of Watershed Approach must also be shared and discussed before Planning process is initiated.

What are the resources available for MGNREGS work?

1. Workers wanting employment under MGNREGS form the human resource for MGNREGS work. This is called Labour Demand.

2. Based on the quantum of labour demand, the Gram Panchayat can access material resources. For instance a GP with a labour demand equal to 60 lakh rupees can also obtain material up to 40 lakh rupees.

If there is demand for work a labour-material budget estimate can be prepared. But can this budget be used? That depends on whether the Gram Panchayats is able to prepare adequate plans to use the labour and material resources.

While the previous chapter dealt with use of five key tools (Social Mapping, Household Survey, Seasonality Analysis, Resource Mapping and Transect Walk) to understand the community and its resources, this chapter will focus on using these tools for identification of works, preparation, presentation and prioritisation of plans.

For understanding the planning process we can divide the works under MGNREGS in to various categories. Some works are private works while some works are community works. While some works enhance livelihood, some improve living conditions. These can be seen in the form of the following matrix.

Categories of MGNREGS Works

Addressing Livelihoods Addressing Living Conditions

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The Watershed Approach

At the heart of the IPPE is the creation of a good quality NRM based plan, which would address the needs of the inhabitants in sustainable way. The concept of the watershed and the principles of the watershed approach are critical to planning. While these are definitely critical to planning of livelihood enhancement works, they are also useful in planning works such as construction of drains in the habitation.

The BPT should spend adequate time in the village discussing aspects of watershed development and how it applies to the development of livelihoods in their village.

This can be done separately as a discussion followed by inputs from BPT members or other local official or/and civil society experts on watershed. The following chapter provides some basic ideas about the ‘principles of development and understanding watershed’.

Individual (Private) e.g. Goat Shed e.g. Household LatrineCommunity (Public) e.g. Check Dam e.g. Drain

A Household Latrine is an activity that directly enhances the living condition of a household. A drainage system for the habitation enhances the living condition of the community. AGoat Shed enhances the livelihood of a household. A check-dam enhances the livelihood of the community. But it’s important to understand that there are overlaps. For instance, aprivate farm pond could be used for bathing by the community thus contributing to the community and enhancing living conditions. This is something that we need to remember when preparing the list of outcomes for any activity proposed under MGNREGS.

Key activities

A. Problem analysis

The analysis of the social map, seasonal map, resource map, transect walks, and summary of household surveys can be used to draw up a problem analysis framework for the community. This will be done through focused group discussions with different groups; all women groups, members of specific vulnerable groups. This analysis should focus on resolving three types of problems

i. Livelihoods relatedii. Environment related

iii. Infrastructure related

There should be an identification of potential contribution that MGNREGS could make towards addressing the identified problems. Interventions to address the identified problems may also be of different types.

MGNREGS can contribute directly to the resolution of the problem MGNREGS can contribute indirectly to the resolution of the problem MGNREGS does not have significant impact on the resolution or continuance of the

problem

In order to bring together the households for a discussion on problems and solutions concerning their major sources of livelihoods and their prioritisation, following steps can be followed.

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B. Identification of works

Based on the different tools used for understanding the community and the problem analysis, the community can set out to identify MGNREGS works that can address problems and enhance livelihoods and living conditions. The identification of works is an iterative process. What does this (iterative process) mean? Let’s look at an example of how identification of works could proceed.

The Social Map has already identified vulnerable households and amenities available in the habitation. The work identification could therefore:

1. Identify individual works in the homestead of vulnerable households (e.g. a Goat Shed, a Compost Pit, or a Household Latrine)

2. Identify works related to Community Infrastructure. (e.g. drainage line, soak pits, school toilets)

The Resource Map would have identified the natural resources available for MGNREGS activities. The work identification could therefore:

1. Identify Individual Land Development (e.g. a farm pond, dug well, farm bunding etc.)2. Identify Common Land / Forest Development (e.g. road side plantation, pasture

development, gully plugging etc.)3. Identify Community Water Harvesting Structures (e.g. a check dam, a community

tank, field channels)

Of course neither the categories nor the examples given here are to be treated as exhaustive. The BPT can facilitate the discussion in the village to come up with a list of works based on needs and resources.

At this points, the BPT along with members of the community would have ascertained who needs work and when they need work as well as existing resources and a three-pronged problem analysis. It now becomes possible to match actual work to people’s needs, priorities and resources available.

The information available through the maps, door to door survey etc. can now be used to prepare an MNREGA plan that aims to improve livelihoods, reduce vulnerability and raise living standards at the community as well as household level.

At the end of listing out works, few questions emerge as to whether and how the plan can be implemented. Are adequate resources available for the list of works?

1. If it exceeds labour and material resource available for the next year (based on aggregate labour demand), then the works should be prioritised under yearly categories. That is what gets done in the next year and what in the following years. This leads to the creation of an annual plan.

2. If the list of works is inadequate to absorb the labour demand, then further discussion can be had to add to the list.

3. A list of works could require more labour than the labour demand of all the households but still fail to provide employment to vulnerable groups. In such a case

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further discussion is needed to identify and add to list, works that can employ the vulnerable groups.

Are the locations at which work is planned available for initiating the work?

1. Does the household identified for individual works have adequate land for undertaking the work?

2. Are public lands identified for community works free of encroachment? 3. Are owners of private lands identified for community works (e.g. passage of roads /

drains / field channels) agreeable to such works?

The prioritised list of works should, therefore satisfy the following conditions:

1. Every person wanting work can be provided employment up to their demand or entitlement (whichever is lower)

2. Labour Material Ratio for any given year cannot be less than 60:40.3. Sites on which such works are to be carried out must be readily available and free of

encroachments.

The BPT members will facilitate a discussion to come up with a first list of different community and individual works that people want to take up under MGNREGA. This list will need to be discussed for prioritising different components of the plan.

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Questions to be kept in mind when prioritising work: criteria for a good plan

a. Are the proposed works permitted under MNREGA? What is the potential for convergence?

b. Have incomplete works been prioritised?c. Is the Plan adequate to meet the estimated demand for employment? In

case it is inadequate, there’ll be a need to discuss:i. Additional possibilities of work in or near the village/hamlet/wardii. Amount of employment which the Panchayat / Block has to be

requested to plan and provided. In case it is more than what can be done through use of available persons

i. Prioritisation of the works over and beyond the coming year. ii. Potential for providing employment to households from outside the

village/hamlet/warde. Rough estimation of labour and material resources required for specific

works to ensure the plan adheres to laid down normsi. Resources required for completing incomplete works whose completion

is desirableii. Resources required for new works identified in the planning process.

f. Is the proposed plan based on NRM principles? Have the following aspects been accounted for?i. Quantity of land and other physical resourcesii. Gradient and Catchment Areaiii. Quantity and Seasonality of Rainfalliv. Groundwater Availability

Format for ward-wise consolidation of identified and prioritised works to be presented in Gram Sabha

Gram Panchayat Name: Village name: Ward no: Date of ward/hamlet sabha:

Total no of members present: Male: Female:

Community works

Priority No

Nature of work Details (place,sizeetc)

Expected outcomes/benefits

Expected persondays to be generated

No of vulnerable HH to benefit

Individual beneficiary work

Priority No

Nature of work Details(place,sizeetc)

Expected outcomes/benefits

Expected persondays to be generated

Vulnerable group category

Sjgnature of PRI member (ward/GP) Panchayat Sewak GRS Observer

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Day-wise activities for BPT in a ward/hamlet/village

Day 1:

1st half: First village meeting where an overview of MNREGA and the concept of INRM based (Watershed + livelihoods) planning under MNREGA is discussed.

2nd half: The BPT along with villagers would split into two sub groups

one sub group would work on social mapping, seasonality mapping along with door to door survey of vulnerable families.

The second sub-group will work on developing the resource map, conducting the transect walk and identify the most problematic patches where most of the vulnerable families own the land.

Day 2:

1st and 2nd half: One sub group would do conduct focused group discussions with concerned families in those selected patches to identify the land and water based and agricultural problems and to identify the solutions. They would try to identify specific patches which need immediate treatment, and focus on those patches.

Sub group two along with the people of the village will identify the overall problems in the village including specific issues of women, the landless and arrive at solutions.

Day 3:

1st half: consolidation of plan

2nd half- .Presentation of all the plans in front of the entire village and facilitate prioritisation

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Chapter 6Principles of planning and understanding watershed

Intensive Discussions on potential development of the Community through the use of MGNREGS should preferably be initiated after the understanding phase is over. Of course the discussions around understanding the community would also have brought up certain ideas for using MGNREGS for development of the Community.

The basic objective of this chapter is to understand how MGNREGS can contribute towards the following:

1. rain water harvesting,2. capturing sub-surface runoff, 3. increasing in-situ moisture, 4. checking soil erosion, 5. increasing agricultural productivity, and 6. diversifying livelihood portfolio

It is important for the Team to take a call on whether the discussions around planning should be held on the same day or the next day. While a continuous process may keep up the momentum, it can also demand too much time from the community. Taking a one-day break may also enable the team to have its own discussion before proceeding to the planning phase. It could get time to compile the formats filled for various households. It could also discuss the potential inputs (especially technical) that it could provide to the community during the planning related discussions and processes.

This chapter has two sections; list of permissible works under MNREGA, and method to identify the best type of work for different situations.

Before discussing the possible treatment of the area or types of assets to be created, it is important to discuss the existing cropping practices of the area, issues faced by farmers in agriculture and the rainfall pattern during a year. Many agricultural practices like

Section 1: Permissible Works in MGNREGA

1.1 Types of Works as per Schedule 1 of MGNREGA

Category A: Public works related to Natural resources management

(i) Water conservation and water harvesting structures to augment and improve groundwater like underground dykes, earthen dams, stop dams, check dams with special focus on recharging ground water including for drinking water sources;

(ii) Watershed management works such as contour trenches, terracing, contour bunds, boulder checks, gabion structures and spring shed development resulting in a comprehensive treatment of a watershed;

(iii) Micro and minor irrigation works and creation, renovation and maintenance of irrigation canals and drains ;

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(iv) Renovation of traditional water bodies including desilting of irrigation tanks and other water bodies;

(v) Afforestation, tree plantation and horticulture in common and forest lands, road margins, canal bunds, tank foreshores and coastal belts duly providing right to usufruct to the households covered in Paragraph 5.

(vi) Land development works in common land.

Category B: Community assets or Individual assets for vulnerable sections (only for households in Paragraph 5)

(vii) Improving productivity of lands of households specified in Paragraph 5 through land development and by providing suitable infrastructure for irrigation including dug wells, farm ponds and other water harvesting structures.

(viii) Improving livelihoods through horticulture, sericulture, plantation, and farm forestry.

(ix) Development of fallow/waste lands of households defined in Paragraph 5 to bring it under cultivation;

(x) Unskilled wage component in construction of houses sanctioned underthe Indira Awaas Yojana or such other State or Central Government scheme.

(xi) Creating infrastructure for promotion of livestock such as, poultry shelter, goat shelter, piggery shelter, cattle shelter and fodder troughs for cattle;

(xii) Creating infrastructure for promotion of fisheries such as, fish drying yards, storage facilities, and promotion of fisheries in seasonal water bodies on public land;

Category C: Common infrastructure including for NRLM compliant self-help-groups

(xiii) Works for promoting agricultural productivity by creating durable infrastructure required for bio-fertilizers and post-harvest facilities including pucca storage facilities for agricultural produce;

(xiv) Common work-sheds for livelihood activities of self-help-groups.

Category D: Rural infrastructure

(xv) Rural sanitation related works, such as, individual household latrines, school toilet units, Anganwadi toilets either independently or in convergence with schemes of other government departmentsto achieve ‘open defecation free’ status. and solid and liquid waste management as per prescribed norms

(xvi) Providing all-weather rural road connectivity to unconnected villages and to connect identified rural production centres to the existing pucca road network; and construction of puccainternal roads/streets including side drains and culverts within a village;

(xvii) Construction of play fields;

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(xviii) Works for improving disaster preparedness or restoration of roads or restoration of other essential public infrastructure including flood control and protection works, providing drainage in water logged areas, deepening and repairing of flood channels, chaur renovation, construction of storm water drains for coastal protection;

(xix) Construction of buildings for Gram Panchayats, women self-help groups’ federations, cyclone shelters, Anganwadi centres and crematoria at the village or block level.

(xx) Construction of Food Grain Storage Structures for implementing the provisions of The National Food Security Act 2013;

(xxi) Manufacturing of building material required for construction works under the Act.

(xxii) Maintenance of rural public assets created under the Act.

(xxiii) Any other work which may be notified by the Central Government in consultation with the State Government.

Note: Works which are non-tangible, not measurable, repetitive - such as removing grass, pebbles, agricultural operations, shall not be taken up.

Section 2: Identifying Works for a Region

Next, it is important to be able to identify the best type of work for the given situation. To do this the following steps are important:

Understand what a ‘watershed’ is and why it is important to visualise a region as a watershed.

Based on this, identify the best types of permissible works to be undertaken within this region.

At each stage, it will be indicated if works are better suited for individual or community works.

While selecting works, it is important to keep in mind larger objectives (such as increasing agricultural productivity) and specific outcomes (such as going from single to multi cropping).

Before moving forward, let us understand basic concepts of watershed

2.1 Understanding Watershed

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Figure 1This diagram depicts a typical watershed and the types of structures that may be constructed to best channel the natural resources.

Below is a glossary of technical terms that you should familiarise yourself with:

Watershed The area from where a river “catches” its water is called its catchment or watershed. A watershed can be visualized as a landscape shaped unevenly like a bowl or basin. When it rains, water flows down from the top of this bowl to collect at the bottom. The undulating land area of any region forms several such units, each of which are called sub-watersheds. Water within each of these units drains to a common point. So the hills, valleys, forests and fields that encircle the falling rain and guide it into streams and then rivers, all form the enclosure or bowl that is a watershed.

Ridge and Ridge Area

The top of a watershed from where the slopes start is called the ridge, because it is the dividing line that partitions one watershed from another. Ridges demarcate the region into distinct areas that ‘catch the rain’ for a stream or river. In a watershed, the slopes falling from the ridge to the beginning of the plains are called the ridge area.

Drainage Lines

The many channels that flowing rainwater drains into are called drainage lines. Gullies, streams and rivers are all drainage lines. The water flowing through a number of gullies joins up to make a naali, (a small stream), many naalis combine to make a naala, (a larger stream), naalas flow into a nadi (a river) and so on. The smallest stream is called the first order stream. Two 1st order streams join to make a 2nd order stream. Similarly, two 2nd order streams join to make a 3rd order stream and so on. Different watershed interventions take place in different sized drainage lines.

Contour Lines

A contour is an imaginary line that joins points of the same height. It is a line so flat and level, even water could rest on it. Just like some water spilt on the flat surface of

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a table top would remain on it and not dribble down.

When we try to mark points at the same height on actual landscape, like on the side of a hill, these lines follow the curves of the land and look wavy. But they are not. They are at the same level so much so that if one dug a channel along the contour line, a ball would stop on it and not roll off. Contour lines are important because we need water conservation structures that do not allow water to flow off.

Horizontal Interval

The horizontal interval is the distance straight across as the crow flies, so to speak. For instance, from one tree to another, from the top of one hill to another, from the road to the house and so on.

Vertical Interval

The vertical Interval is straight up. For instance, from the bottom of a well to the top or from the floor to the roof, and so on.

Slope Horizontal and vertical Interval is not so simple when we look at a hill. There is a slanting distance from the bottom of the hill to the top. This is called a slope. As we walk up a hill a few steps at a time we are gaining height. The point where we started from appears further and further below. For every few steps forward that we take we also take a few steps up. So we are traveling both horizontally and vertically at the same time. Just like stairs.

The slope of the land is the ratio of the vertical interval to the horizontal interval. Slope can be measured in two ways, as a percentage or in degrees. For example, if we have walked a distance of 3 meters horizontally while gaining a height of 1 meter then we can say it in 2 ways -

2. The slope that I climbed was in a ratio of 1:3 3. Slope = Vertical Interval ÷ Horizontal Interval X 100 = 33%

Bed Slope The slope of the bed of the drainage line (naali, naala, nadi).Soil Texture What soil feels like is the ‘texture’ of soil. This is a result of the mixture of different

sized particles. Different soils have different combinations of these particles. We can roughly make this out even by feeling the soil with our fingers. Thus, soils with more sand are coarser and those with more clay feel finer. Particles above 2mmin diameter are strictly speaking not regarded as part of soil. These are classified as stones and gravel.

Soil Structure

The way in which the different particles group or stick together in soils, forming a network of pores and channels is known as soil structure. There are three main types of soil structure:Granular– when it is like gravel, separate lumps with no bonding between themFragmented– when it is crumbly, small lumps loosely bonded by clayContinuous– when it is like dough, all the particles are held by a mass of clay

2.2 Why is a watershed important?

Now that you’ve understood, what a watershed is, we can move on to why this is important. Any structure that is to be built has to fit in to the natural settings of the region. An intervention is useful only if the region has been understood and its slopes, ridge, drainage and farm areas

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First visualise a watershed, identify works according to this, link it into a larger objective and then indicate the expected outcomes.

identified. There will be no use in planning a work to prevent erosion in a region that is dry. The works thus taken up will finally have many end objectives such as increasing the livelihood income streams of families through conserving soil and water, improving agricultural productivity, , afforestation etc. Then, for each kind of work, ‘expected outcomes’ are to be recorded. This will put in quantifiable terms the benefit expected from the asset. For example, with a farm pond, there will be water available for irrigation and ground water will be recharged.

2.2 Selecting Works

The primary objective of the planning exercise is to plan for assets that will enhance both farm-based and non-farm-based livelihood of the community and also help in enhancement of natural resources.

Livelihood works apply primarily to the unit of a household or individual and to some extent to common resources. Livelihoods’ includes all activities by which a family earns income for its basic needs of food, clothes, fuel, health and nutrition and health, education and skills and so on. Activities such as agriculture, fishing, rearing animals, collecting daily necessities like water, fodder, food items as well as goods like timber and medicinal plants from surrounding wasteland and forest, agriculturalas well as non-agricultural wage work in trades and professions could all be counted under livelihoods.

The basic principles of livelihood planning are as follows; there is dependence on more than one resource and activity to earn a livelihood. Thus rural families undertake a combination of activities to ensure livelihood security. A poor household will raise food security enhancing crops on a small piece of land, rear goats, and migrate to cities as unskilled labour. A landless family may work as farm labour and construction labour, and may also make bidis or agarbattis. Another family may lease in land for agriculture and seasonally migrate to neighbouring regions / states to work as farm labour or to work on brick kilns and so on. So it is important to explore the current livelihood portfolio of the community in the planning process.

By now, the team will have prepared the social and resource maps before generating options for possible works. As discussed in chapter 5, the team will identify one (or a few) patches from the resource map based on the priority of the community (poorest first), level of degradation of the patch, and the number of families covered in the patch. It should be tried to cover as many families as possible.

The team can begin the transect patch wise from the ridge-line of the patch. One thumb-rule is that the ridge-line coincides with the roads around the outside boundary of the patch, most of the times. Villagers easily find out ridges in field. The following process can be used during the transect:

Visit the patch of land with all the owners (and spouses) to identify/verify the existing problems in each patch. Also discuss the implications of the existing problems, talk to the owner of land in that patch about implications, also discuss what are her/his plan if the problem of the patch is removed. Check with other farmers about feasibility of the plan.

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Note the typical features of each patch like type of soil, depth of soil, water holding capacity, slope, erosion, present land-use, vegetation, irrigation, crop productivity, etc. Use a table to record the information for each patch. It is also wise to record the trends, this indicates changes occurring in land use and relationship with the problems of the patch.

Also the constraining factors at the family level related to the workforce (available person days across months), draft animals, remoteness, cash flow, etc needs to be noted.

After identifying its problems and understanding its present land use, help the owner-families to brain storm about possible alternatives to deal with the problems in a better way. (Refer to the table below for information on the type of options available for each patch of land).

Possible discussion during transect walk:

The team should start the discussion around purpose of the transect, potential with prevailing rainfall condition, how much rain can be harvested and how much it can irrigate, present crop pattern, agricultural issues etc with the community.

Agricultural issues and mono-cropping can be linked with the need for and potential of water harvesting and patch treatment.

The team should ask the owners of the particular patch that what kind of treatment will ensure benefit to most of the farmers in that patch what cropping change can occur if water harvesting can be ensured.. The team should explore how the water flows during rains across the patch, and try to trace the path of the water flow, with the help of the community. The team should then ask the community members about the primary issues related to the flow of water. The community might talk about issues like soil erosion, rapid runoff, water logging, sand deposition, flash floods, lack of harvesting structures etc.

The existing discourse in MGNREGS is to create large structures like large water harvesting tank of various sizes (e.g. 150ft X 150ft X 10ft etc), check dams etc. So the community members might demand for those schemes at the beginning. The team needs to explain the need to capture the rain water so that farmers can move from mono-cropping to double-cropping.

The team should then talk about best-possible treatment based on the merit of land e.g. porous uplands are good for recharging the ground water, checking runoff through bunding levelling, WHTs, and low lands for holding water in seepage pits, WHTs topology. Ideally, it would include a mix of vegetative and structural measures on private and public land.

Some structural measures like 5% model, 30X40 model, bunding & Levelling are done for area treatment in medium-upland & Uplands, and are best done for a whole patch and not as individual structure. So the planning team will have to discuss with the land owners about the need for creating small water harvesting tanks in series in the whole patch. The challenge is to convince as many farmers as possible, for such structural measures and this may require involving farmers from other villages owning land in that particular patch. The land ownership data become very useful here.

The following is a rule of thumb classification for selecting the type of structure for the particular watershed area.

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Watershed Area

Purpose of Interventions

Classification Structure

Ridge This is the area that the water source originates from. Usually on steeper slopes, erosion is high in this area and the water runs off quickly. If the water flows too quickly, streams downstream will get silted. To avoid this, certain structures may be built which slow down the flow of water. Erosion can also be checked by planting grasses, shrubs, trees and permanent forest cover.

On slopes greater than 25%,

a) Contour Trenching. Protection and plantation of grasses, shrubs and trees native to the areab) Where boulders are available, contour bunding with boulders.It is might be good idea to go for permanent vegetation through planting local species and perennial grasses.

On slopes between 10-25%

Contour staggered Trenching

On slopes less than 10%

Earthen Contour Bunding. 30X40 model is better than contour bunding because it is very difficult to follow a contour while constructing earthen bund, and mistake in following bund can result is breaking of bund.

Drainage This is the area between the ridge and farm, that is, where the water flows down to the farm. There will a gentler slope. This area too will have erosion and siltation. Structures built here will also be intended to check erosion and avoid siltation of water bodies downstream. To do this, drainage channels are deepened and embankments are raised along

local bed slopes> 20%

Brushwood checksGabion structures where velocity and volume of peak run-off is too high for loose boulder structures

local bed slopes < 5%

a) Earthen dams, which serve as percolation reservoirs in the upper catchment.b) Sand-filled bag structures in order to check the velocity of stream flowwhere sand is locally availablec) Gabion structures where velocity and volume of peak run-off is too highfor loose boulder structures

stream embankments severely eroded

a) naala training, including deepening channels and raising embankments,along sections of streams, where during peak floods, the stream flows overits embankments and damages

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sections of the streams that overflow and flood.

the fields alongsideb) embankment stabilisation through gabions or sand-filled bag structuresin stretches where the banks are particularly vulnerable and needreinforcement

local bed slopes between 5-20%

loose boulder checks

groundwater harvesting wells are located alongside

Underground dykes in the discharge zone where the impermeable strata areoverlain by thin layer of permeable deposits

Farm Since this is where water drains out, it is the most fertile and suited for agriculture related works. Tap sub- surface water and recycle to irrigate second crop. Save crops from dry spells by providing life saving irrigation Improve soil moisture.

Permeable/dry soil Water harvesting

Tanks

System of bunds and diversion channels for a stretch of fields from local ridge to drain. While in permeable soils the bunds help increase soil-moisture profileWHTs to catch the runoff from the farm land. It increases infiltration and, checks erosion, increases soil moisture regime, increases ground water level.

Waterlogged fields Seepage Tanks

Low Land wells

Seepage drains which help vertical drainage of excess soil moisture into permeable strata underlying the top soil, simultaneously increasing.Seepage tanks to catch the seepage water and lateral flows, very useful to cultivate second crop after rainy season.Groundwater recharge, system of bunds and diversion channelsLow land wells can be dug in low lands with good seepage and water can be used in the same field in summer season and lifted to distant uplands during rabi season when low lands are water logged.

Grasses are not good crop choices for scarce farm lands, fooder crops e.g. grasses and

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fodder trees can be grown in upland treated areas.Farm lands should have food or cash crops based on family’s priority.

Around wells and along bunds

Plantation of horticultural species it should go into uplands/medium uplands where irrigation infrastructure is created.

Reference: SamajPragatiSahyog Manual, ‘NREGA: Watershed Works Manual’ - 7.1, 8.1, 9.1, 10.1, 11.1, 12.1, 13.1, 14.1 for diagrams of these various structures [please see Annexure]

Along with agriculture, livestock-rearing (such as cows or buffaloes or poultry or engaging in fisheries and piggery) is also a major source of livelihood for both land-owning families and landless families. It is important to include the activities that will help the families in enhancing non-farm livelihoods. Problems like poor quality animal breed, scarcity of fodder (especially during summer),lack of grazing pasture and lack of proper shelter are often cited as primary issues. Without in house fodder cultivation, bovine rearing can be very risky.

The following is an illustrative table on the types of works that may be taken up in common and private lands based on the family-need and livelihood-context:

Type of Focus

Details Common Land Private Land

Agriculture Land Development

Boulder check Dam Boulder check DamGabion Structure Farm BundGully plug Gully plugPlantation and fodder production

Deepening of field channel to protect from flood

Water Conservation and Harvesting

Contour trench Dug out pond, 5% ModelContour bund Recharge pit, 30X40 ModelUnderground dykeEarthen DamStop Dam

Irrigation Canal rehabilitation – minor and sub minor strengthening

Field ChannelsDug Well, seepage pits

Soil Fertility improvement

Belt vegetation in coastal area to protect from sea erosion

NADEP composting pitGliricidia plantation

Construction of storm water drain system

Vermicomposting pit

Deepening and repair of main flood channel

Liquid bio manure pit

Livestock Productivity Construction of pucca floor,

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improvement

urine tank, fodder trough for cattle

Small improvement

Goat shelter

Poultry development

Poultry Shelter

Fisheries development

Fisheries in seasonal Water Bodies onPublic LandsFish drying yard

Fisheries in private water bodies

Common Activities or facilities

Sanitation Soak Pit Individual Household Latrine and bathrooms

School toilet unit Soak PitAanganwadi toilet unitSolid and liquid waste management

Horticulture & Tree Plantation

Afforestation Afforestation Fruit Tree PlantationPlantation Tree Plantation. Roadside

Fruit Tree PlantationTimber Tree Plantation

Source: Srijan (2012) User’s manual: Building sustainable livelihoods of the poor through MGNREGA

Since a major focus of the planning exercise is to help the community in diversifying its livelihood portfolio, along with treatment of the land, it is advisable to explore horticulture options with the families during the transect. The following section explains the horticulture option in details.

2.3 Selecting Works: Plantation/Afforestation

Horticulture refers to all types of plantation and afforestation works that may be taken up under MGNREGA. In simple terms afforestation means “the establishment of a forest, stand or tree plantation on an area not previously forested, or on land from which forest cover has very long been absent.” Effectively, it is to increase woody vegetation cover by creating new or restoring existing vegetation patches. In general the goal of afforestation work may be either for ecological restoration/conservation purpose or for production purpose which include both economic and social gains.

The following are the points to be kept in mind:

Horticulture is a branch of agriculture that refers to the growing of fruits, vegetables and flowers. These works may be taken up either to meet needs of families (for food or fuel) or else to regenerate degraded lands.

On common lands, which might be public or revenue lands, panchayat or forest lands, plantation of fruit bearing trees can be taken up on road sides, canal sides,

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pond bunds, railway track sides, rank foreshores, river sides, coastal belt, wastelands, community lands, Pasture land, Forest Land etc. On private land, works can be taken up on house premises or farm lands.

On private land block plantation of Fruit or timber trees can be planted based on availability of irrigation and soil type.

Prefer native species and seeds. Create structurally diverse patches of vegetation (vertical foliage layers) by

maintaining appropriate over storey (small or large trees) and under-storey (shrub) plants.

Do plantations in phased wise manner so that create multi-age standThe following are the sub-tasks that may be taken up:Activity Sub-Tasks

Nursery Development Clearing of weeds and unwanted species from selected site.Fencing of siteBed preparation (including the filling of soil in polythene bags, seeding etc.)Watering

Plantation Site Preparation

Removal of weeds and other unwanted vegetation

Plantation Collection and storage of seeds of native plant speciesPits making for plantation WateringManuring

Maintenance Weed RemovalRepair of protective fencesPruning of plants

2.4 Outcome Orientation

By the end of the transect walk, it is expected that the team and the community would have achieved the following:

The team would have identified the vegetative and structural measures for the selected patch, keeping in mind the livelihood-need and the land-treatment required.

The team would have mobilised the land-owners and other community members around the need for INRM-based treatment and opportunities under MGNREGS.

Now that the various types of works have been identified, one also needs to keep in mind how outcomes related to these works may be measured once they are completed. This is important from the point of view of creating assets that lead to overall development of the

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region. If outcomes are seen over a longer period, that should be stated as such. For the types of works identified, the planner should also indicate likely outcomes.

Chapter 7MNREGA and Convergence

In view of the intersectorality of MGNREGA, the need to create durable assets and the fact that MGNREGA workforce constitutes the target group of most development programme, a comprehensive and effective possibilities of convergence, latent in MGNREGA. During the planning process this possibility need to be explored. Convergence would help MGNREGS to ensure a steady stream of projects involving unskilled manual labour while at the same time enriching the relevance of these projects to the rural economy.

Scope

The present model of convergence considers those programme and schemes in which planning process and works are similar to those in MGNREGA. Ongoing programme works will be converged at appropriate stage within guideline of both programme.This is necessary to begin with, other schemes may be added value addition to MGNREGA works.

Why MGNREGA as entry point for convergence

Development literature suggests that the battle for sustainable development in the twenty first century will be won or lost depending on how we could consolidate and converge the multiplicity of schemes through well defined operational guidelines. The convergence of development schemes that are implemented by various ministries and departments of state and central governments offers advantages that are widely accepted and these include:

Synergies in learning and knowledge sharing Leveraging scarce physical and financial resources Increased transparency in decision making and process design Objectivity and clarity in targeting programme beneficiaries Reduced time and cost slippages in programme implementation Breaking the self seeking nexus between contractors and stakeholders. Stronger democratic processes result as convergence helps enhance participatory

decision making through increased awareness of development schemes

NREGA is seen as the entry point for convergence of most development programmes in the rural areas for the following reasons:

NREGA permits a suite of development works required for watershed development in rain-fed area, for command area development in irrigated areas and fair weather road for rural area connectivity

Access to untied funds for local area planning

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Emphasis on decentralized bottom up planning which enables need assessment at grassroot level by gram panchayats and hence the empowerment of Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs).

Legal safeguards provided for in the NREGA Facilitates sustainable development through natural resource management Facilitates effective targeting of beneficiaries and leads to development of human

capital and physical capital through institutional linkages

Convergence of the NREGA funds with funds from other sources can help in creation of durable assets while reducing the scope for duplicity and redundancy of institutional and physical structures. For instance, funds available with PRIs from other Central or Centrally Sponsored Schemes (such as SGSY, IWDP, BRGF) can be dovetailed with NREGA funds for the construction of quality community assets in the category of permissible works. However NREGA funds should not be used as substitute resources by different departments and agencies for their own activities

Convergence of the funds from other sources with MGNREGA funds can help in creation of durable assets. For instance, funds available with PRIs from other sources (such as the National Finance Commission, State Finance Commission, State Departments) and other Central or Centrally Sponsored Schemes (such as SGSY, DPAP, DDP, IWDP, BRGF) can be dovetailed with MGNREGA funds for the construction of durable community assets under the works permissible. However MGNREGA funds should not be used as substitute resources by different departments and agencies for their own activities.

Framework for Convergence

MGNREGA can provide the primary input into natural resource generation. For it to become the basis of sustainable development back-forward Linkages have to be worked out and the entire work be conceptualized as a project. The project approach must have a two fold objective: (i) ensuring that the work under MGNREGA is made durable through appropriate inputs (such as technologies not permitted under MGNREGA). This may normally imply moving from kuccha to pukka, (ii) Using the physical asset created under NREGA for economic activities in a way that the labour that has worked on that asset is able to earn an income from it.

Link with Annual plan with State convergence Plan (SCP)The annual plan should be part of State convergence plan for 2015-16 and also include ongoing project of 2014-15 in the next year SCP, which will be share with line departments for resource share.

To gain maximum out of it all attempts should be made for convergence with other schemes, such as Integrated Watershed Management Programme (IWMP), RashtriyaKrishiVikas Yojana (RKVY), Command Area Development and Water Management (CAD&WM), National Horticulture Mission (NHM) etc. This will enable in attaining sustainable livelihoods, for example convergence with Total Sanitation Campaign (TSC). Nirmal Bharat Abhiyan (NBA) and National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP) will help improve Human Development Indicators.

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Convergence Plan Focus on Integrated Natural Resource Management (INRM)/Agriculture activities

The works taken up in MGNREGS should be taken up in INRM perspective. Planned and systematic development of land and harnessing of rainwater following watershed principles should become the central focus of MGNREGS works across the country to sustainably enhance farm productivity and incomes of poor people.

The INRM should include total quality management of natural resources with specific focus on in-situ rainwater harvesting to minimize rainwater run-off, bringing fallow lands into cultivation, putting common lands to productive use, developing the lands of SC/ST and small and marginal farmers(SMF) so as to enhance their productivity and strengthen livelihoods. Systematic identification and implementation of projects will lead to creation of sustainable and productive assets for the community.

Individual works should be logically sequenced and packaged together on the principles of INRM to form projects. Even works on private lands should be taken up following the principles of watershed management in an integrated manner.

It is possible that some projects from the list recommended by Gram Sabha do not finally get approved for some reason. Therefore, the list should contain enough number of projects so that the Shelf of Projects (SoP) that emerges through this process is more than adequate to meet the projected demand for work for at least two years. A SoP covering at least two years of implementation will enable (a) adequate time for required technical scrutiny before granting technical sanctions and (b) eliminate delays in providing employment because of lack of requisite approvals. In case a PIA's proposal is found technically inadequate or incorrect then a two year SoP will provide adequate time to PIAs to make modifications and corrections for sanction and inclusion of their proposals in the SoP. It must also be ensured that the GP adds new projects to the SoP every year to replace the component which is completed

A Block Resource Team (BRT) will be set up as a resource and facilitation centre for knowledge inputs, capacity building and convergence in each GP. Existing resource organizations from the voluntary sector could be identified as BRT. The BRT will perform the following functions in terms of convergence :

i) Provide technical inputs for planning, including those resources from other line dept and schemes through convergence to improve durability and quality of asserts

ii) Ensure convergence between MGNREGS and other production-oriented schemes of government for gap filling and value addition so that assets created under MGNREGS are productively used by the poor to enhance their incomes.

If the planning team believes that the current list of permissible works is not proving adequate to create durable assets & generate sufficient employment under the MGNREGA then the planning team should

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(i) identified the works that may not be currently permissible under 60:40 ratio but would create durable assets & generate additional employment through resource support from other schemes; and

(ii) Since work lead to the creation of durable assets and strengthen the livelihood resource base of the rural poor, then the planning team should draw up a proposal for convergence with untied schemes like BRGF, MP fund, MLA fund, 13th Finance Commission, IAP fund for convergence project during gram sabha meeting.

Once the works is approved at gram sabha, the resource team should support GP and block functionaries in term of preparation of shelf of project. The shelf of the project in each GP should contain the following:

a. Justification for the work.b. Areas of the GP where this work would be undertaken.c. Numbers of people likely to be employed (employment potential).d. Nature of durable asset likely to be created.e. How this work will strengthen the livelihood base of the rural poor.f. Other benefits that may accrue such as continued employment opportunities,

strengthening of the local economy and improving the quality of lives of people.

g. Indicate whether this will require convergence with any other scheme/programme running in the State. If yes, then the nature of convergence, how it would be achieved and in which accounts the requirements of MGNREGA would be maintained

The team should use the following table for resource mapping

S.No Agency/Schemes Availability of Resource

Contribution from MGNREGA in term of resource (Financial + Material)

Contribution required from line dept in term of resource (Financial + Material)

1. IAY (Housing)2. NBA (Toilet)3. PMGSY (Road)4. IWMP (Watershed)5. RashtriyaKrishiVikash Yojana

(RKVY)6. National Horticulture Mission

(NHM)7. Fisheries Dept8. Animal Husbandry

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9. Irrigation Schemes10. National Afforestation

Schemes11. Women & Child

Development

Some Existing Modes of Convergence

S.No Sector Works under MGNREGA Works from resource of other line dept

1 Agriculture Land development Field ponds

Seeds Tool &equipment for agriculture Fertiliser Technical inputs Drip irrigation (Agriculture Dept)

2 Horticulture Pits Trenches along the

boundary Watering

Saplings/seedlings for plantation Fertilizer Pesticide (Horticulture Dept)

3 Sericulture Field preparation Planting Weeding Watering

Application of fertilizer & pesticide Technical assistance Drip irrigation Rearing house (Sericulture dept& irrigation dept)

4 Forestry Contour trench Pits Fencing Watering

Nursery Development Sapling Fertilizer Pesticide(Forest Dept)

5 Fisheries Construction of tanks Desilting of tanks

Fingerlings Manure Artificial feedings Purchase of Net(Fisheries Dept)

6 Irrigation Field Channels Water course Earth works

Construction of permanent structure

(Agriculture and irrigation dept)7 Road Erath works

Watering & rolling Roadside plantation

Interlinking and culvert Base course, surface course &

gravel road(BRGF, PMGSY)

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Chapter 8Facilitating Gram Sabha for approval of plans

This chapter will cover:

- How the Block Planning Team will seek approval of draft plans by the Gram Sabha

- How to improve participation, representation and transparency in the MNREGA planning process through the Gram Sabha

1. What is Gram Sabha? What is the role or Gram Sabha for planning under MGNREGA? What is the role of the ward sabha in planning?

Section 16 of the Act which lays down the responsibilities of the gram panchayat lays down the role of the gram sabha as well as the ward sabha in recommending works. The gram panchayat is then expected to prepare a development plan and a shelf of works to be taken up as and when demand for work arises.

Section 7 of schedule I states that ‘all works to be executed by the Gram Panchayats shall be identified and placed before the Gram Sabha, and such works which are to be executed by the intermediate Panchayats or other implementing agencies shall be placed before the intermediate or District Panchayats, along with the expected outcomes ‘

The MNREGA operational guidelines 2013, refers to the gram sabha as ‘the principal forum for wage seekers to raise their voices and make demands.’. It recommends works to be taken up and is also the final authority on determining the order of priority in which works will be taken up. This order of priority cannot be disturbed by any other authority.

The guidelines also state that where ward sabhas exist they will perform the same functions as gram sabhas.

2. What is the expected role of the BPT in improving participation in the Gram Sabha?

One of the most common complaints with the functioning of the programme is the non-involvement of the gram sabha in the planning process. Although bottom up planning lies at the heart of the MNREGA, the top-down approach continues to prevail and implementation of the programme so far has bypassed the gram sabha. This has subverted one of the core objectives of the programme which is to strengthen PRIs.

The choice of works tends to reflect the priorities of the rural elite, usually the elected head of the panchayat. Even where gram sabhas do take place, discussions tend to exclude the voices of women and vulnerable groups and are captured by more influential groups in the village. Further, decisions in the gram sabha are rarely made available to public. The opaqueness of the deliberations prevents access to information which can be used to demand greater accountability.

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The BPT will refer to the Panchayat Raj Acts of the specific states for specificities of the level at which the meeting is to be held, quorum, powers and functions of office bearers and other rules governing the conduct of the gram sabha.

The weakness in functioning of the gram sabha can be attributed to both the low levels of awareness amongst people around MNREGA entitlements as well as the lack of training to PRI representatives. Even MNREGA administrative officers and frontline functionaries have not been able to adequately mobilise gram sabhas to increase their participation in planning and programme implementation.

The IPPE is an initiative intended to address the above shortcomings in MNREGA implementation and also a step towards strengthening the Gram Sabha as a decision making body of the people. The IPPE seeks to deepen people’s engagement with the planning process and the gram sabha is a culmination of this entire exercise. Therefore it is critical that the BPT understand, imbibe, follow and ensure that the principles of transparency and accountability are followed at every stage of the planning process and in particular during the Gram Sabha.

The Gram Sabha is the final stage of the participatory planning process and people in the panchayat/village would have interacted with the BPT as part of the household surveys, resource mapping, transact walk, tola meetings etc. Therefore, there will be some awareness around MNREGA and the planning process but the gram sabha is an opportunity to present the draft plans, seek final feedback and finalise the shelf of works. The BPT must make special efforts to encourage people from vulnerable groups and women to express their views in the Gram Sabha. The Gram Sabha is also an opportunity to provide basic technical inputs on NRM, convergence with livelihood activities etc to different stakeholders

to ensure that the panchayat plans are comprehensive and sequenced properly.

3. How will the gram sabha be called?

Gram Sabhas will be held either at the level of the village or the panchayat depending on what is specified in the Panchayati Raj and PESA Acts of the particular state. The difficulty in mobilising people and ensuring participation will increase as the level of the gram sabha and number of people increases and must be accounted for when planning for the pre-gram sabha phase.

The DPC will ensure that a calendar for gram sabha meetings is drawn up all the IPPE blocks in the district should be announced well in advance. The announcement of gram sabha must contain the date, time, venue and the purpose of the meeting. All gram sabha meetings must be completed by 15th November 2014. BPT must inform people of the date, time and

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To sum up, what are the improvement we want to see in the functioning of the gram sabha?

Increased peoples participation, particularly of vulnerable groups

Greater transparency for informed decision making Strengthening democratic functioning of panchayats Quality improvement in plans through gram sabha

venue of the gram sabhaat the time of conducting door to door surveys, FGDs and the entire mapping process.

The notification of the gram sabha should be publicised through advertisements in local newspapers, radio, beating of drums and prominently displayed notices and direct communication with panchayat officials. The block planning team along with the PRS will mobilise Gram Sabha. The support peoples’groups, activists and other local resource persons should be enlisted to ensure wide participation in the gram sabha.

4. Who should be present in the gram sabha?

The quorum of the gram sabha will be determined by the PRI and PESA Act of the state. If the prescribed quorum is not met, the gram sabha will be adjourned and reconvened at the same place and time three days after the date of this meeting. Even if not specifically referred to in the state PRI acts, the BPT will make focused efforts to maximise the participation of women and SCs and STs in the gram sabha.

All elected members of the GP must attend, including ward members. The charge officer must ensure some representation of line departments in the gram sabha. A minimum of 3 members of the BPT must attend.

5. How will the Gram Sabha be conducted?

The Gram Sabha must take place in a neutral public space. The meeting will not be conducted in the hamlet/village of the head of the panchayat. The venue selected for the public hearing should be large enough to accommodate the number of people expected to attend. The stage should be set up in a manner that avoids any crowding or disruptions and women should be seated in front. Gram Panchayat officials should be included in all decisions regarding the arrangements for the public hearings in their areas.

Appropriate arrangements for microphones and speakers must be made to ensure all participants are audible and recording can be done. The proceedings of the public hearing must be video recorded and all the arrangements for videography must be made beforehand.

A member of the BPT can facilitate the gram sabha, but the event must be organised through the local administration and the designated panchayat officials. The DPC will appoint observers to ensure the smooth conduct of every Gram Sabha meeting. It is important for note takers and rapporteurs to be appointed in advance to carefully document all the deliberations/decisions and accurately report all the views expressed during the gram sabha. These must be compiled and written up in a detailed report prepared after each gram sabha.

Who will preside over the meeting of the gram sabha will be decided based on the provisions of the state PRI Act. The chosen moderators must be experienced and well-versed with the planning process and panchayat plan. All proceedings must be held in the local language with effective and credible translators identified beforehand, if required. The moderator of the public hearing must allow people to speak for themselves and provide adequate time for the presentation of views and for the representatives to respond to questions and concerns.

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6. What will the agenda of the gram sabha be and how will the plans be presented for gram sabha approval?

The ward-wise plans will be presented preferably by the ward member, assisted by BPT members. The facilitator/moderator must follow the agenda suggested below as far as possible:

Introduction of key persons present and introduction to the gram sabha and agenda for the meeting

Overview of MNREGA: Present current and past status of MNREGA in the GP such as works taken up, employment provided etc.

Potential of MGNREGA in addressing poverty, supporting livelihood, NRM, asset creation, mitigating natural calamities like drought etc

Presentation on the natural resource and livelihood related problems/issues and prospective solutions.

Steps followed during the labour budget and IPPE Habitation wise presentation of estimated demand and identified works along with

prioritisation2

The BPT is encouraged to work with local volunteers to prepare the layout and display of information to effectively present the habitation wise plans during the public hearing. Possible items for display could include resource maps, MNREGA entitlements, illustrations of permissible works, pictoral charts mapping demand over seasons, months and habitations etc.

7. Prioritisation and revisiting the plan

As the habitation wise plans are presented the moderator will invite comments from people which will be incorporated into the plan before final approval of the priority during the meeting. The moderator must facilitate the discussion and seek responses from the peoples. The criteria for determining a good plan as detailed in chapter 5 should be revisted here as well.

8. Arriving at Consensus on Plan of Work and Prioritisation

Given that there will be competing interests and a perception of scarce resources, conflicts may emerge during the gram sabha or in the process of planning which will need careful handling to avoid conflict situations.

Some possible disputes which may arise:

2 All implementing agencies including line departments, District Panchayat, Intermediate Panchayats etc. will send their list of projects to be included in the Shelf of Projects well before 15th August of each year to the respective GP. Convergence works will also discussed during the GS and prioritised during the meeting. Works that are inserted at Intermediate Panchayat(IP) and District Panchayat(DP) level have to be approved and assigned a priority by the GS before administrative approval can be given. The GS may accept, amend or reject them.

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One Tola may have less MNREGA workers but they might be in greater need of employment and asset creation

Undue interference of of PRI members to get a greater share for their respective constituencies hamlets

Presence of a particular social group or hamlet residents in large numbers in gram sabha might influence decisions

Individual works might get greater preference over genuine community needs

There are different ways of dealing with such situations which may be used depending on the situation. Facilitators must get the participants in the gram sabha to lay down some common norms which will be followed in the conduct of the gram sabha and for arriving at decisions. In the resolution of conflicts, the perspective of vulnerable groups must be given adequate weight and priority in arriving at a resolution.

9. Documentation of resolution and seeking approval

Refer to format for ward-wise plans.

10. Handing over plans and filing/archiving of documents

Planning is not a one-time exercise but is iterative and therefore it is important to carefully archive all documents and maps used in this round. All documents should be compiled and indexed by habitation for future reference.

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