N G O ‘ s    R O L E    I N    M G N R E G A

 

1.     In February 1986 with the support of the late Mr. Smarajit Ray, 40 NGO’s of Andhra Pradesh started a campaign for the legislation of an employment guarantee Act. The campaign lasted 20 years. 

 

2.       We wanted an Act which would give rural workers the right to demand and receive work.

 

3.     Today we have that Act - it is called MGNREGA and it has given many rights to workers.

 

4.     The question I would like to raise and answer is what is our role in

MGNREGA ?

 

5.     We have 2 roles:

1.     To educate, mobilise and assist S S S groups at G P levels to demand their rights. This is a direct relationship between the S S S groups and the NGO’s, APNA is not involved in it.

2.     Our second role is to monitor every month, the success or failure of the 

S S S groups in getting their demands honoured by the Government in the GPs where we are working. In order to do this APNA must give us official permission and financial support to conduct S S S  groups meetings in every village of our GPs every month. The meetings will monitor the rights performance information updated and given to us every month. A rights performance report will be submitted to APNA every month.

 

6.           Will  the government give us the official responsibility of monitoring     MGNREGA rights accessed and rights denied every month in the GPs where we are working.

7.     Only if the government gives the NGO’s this responsibility will the NGO’s have a role in APNA with the purpose of fulfilling the Act.