Decrease in Funds for MGNREGS Amidst Increasing Rural Unemployment

The Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS), India’s flagship programme on rural livelihoods, witnessed neither a mention in the Budget speech for FY 2022-23 nor an increase in the budget allocations despite a staggeringly high unemployment rate in the last two years. Meanwhile, unemployment is on the rise as the pandemic continues. Given the relevance of MGNREGS as a social safety net in rural India, the reduced allocation to the scheme may prove disadvantageous. 

As economic opportunities plummeted due to the COVID-19 induced slowdown, the unemployment rate in India skyrocketed to 10.35 per cent in calendar year(CY) 2020 and 7.8 per cent in CY 2021, as compared to 4.5 per cent in CY 2017. Inevitably, many people were forced to look for alternative sources of income and flocked to access MGNREGS, which guarantees at least 100 days of wage employment in a Financial Year (FY) to every rural household that demands work. 

Thereby, the work demanded under the scheme soared from 6.2 crore households in FY 2019-20 to 8.6 crore households in FY 2020-21 and 8.1 crore households  in FY 2021-22. While employment provided has also increased, there exists significant unmet demand (the difference between employment demanded and provided) with 79.6 lakh households not getting work despite demanding it in FY 2021-22.

Using the unemployment data from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy (CMIE) for FY 2021-22, we see that peak unemployment was observed in May 2021, at 11.8 per cent. The increased employment provided from MGNREGS for the same period, in comparison, however, was minimal, rising from 79 per cent employment provided-to-demanded in April 2021 to 80 per cent employment provided-to-demanded in May 2021. Following that, employment provided by MGNREGS remained more or less stable at  around 76 per cent, with a small dip witnessed in November 2021.


Source: MGNREGS MIS, CMIE Unemployment Data.

A state-wise analysis is also revealing. 

Looking particularly at May 2021 (when the unemployment rate was the highest), Assam had a moderate proportion of employment provided to employment demanded under MGNREGS (82 per cent), given its unemployment rate was 0 per cent. On the other hand, Haryana’s unemployment rate was at 29 per cent, whereas the proportion of employment provided-to-demanded under MGNREGS  was 80 per cent. Telangana had the highest employment provided-to-demanded at 106 per cent with a moderate unemployment rate of 7 per cent. 

In contrast, Rajasthan, which saw a high unemployment rate of 28 per cent, had the smallest proportion of employment provided-to-demanded under MGNREGS at just 64 per cent.


Source: MGNREGS MIS (1) (2), CMIE Unemployment Data

Looking at state-wise comparison of average employment provided under MGNREGS  for FY 2021-22 to the average unemployment rate for the year, Haryana and Rajasthan showcased the highest unemployment rate at 29 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively. This trend extends on what was observed in May. In contrast, Meghalaya and Gujarat had the lowest unemployment rate at 2 per cent each. While Rajasthan managed to have a high proportion of work demand met by MGNREGS at 93 per cent, Haryana had significant unmet demand. Telangana, on the other hand, had the highest employment provided by MGNREGS, whereas Gujarat had the lowest employment provided-to-demanded under MGNREGS.


Source: MGNREGS MIS (1) (2), CMIE Unemployment Data.

The trend of employment generated is greatly influenced by the amount of funds received by states under the scheme, and there is a huge variation in the amount sanctioned to each state. For instance, at the end of FY 2021-22, Karnataka and Maharashtra were sanctioned the most funds under the scheme at Rs. 13,88,429 lakh and Rs. 10,87,551 lakh respectively. Mizoram and Goa were sanctioned the least funds at Rs. 59,065 lakh  and Rs. 10,505 lakh respectively. 


Source: Population figures from Census 2011. Amount Sanctioned figures from MGNREGS MIS.

Focusing on larger states, as  categorised by the NITI Aayog, in per capita terms, Karnataka and Maharashtra were sanctioned the highest funds per capita under the scheme at Rs. 3,706 and Rs. 1,767 respectively. Given the high sanctioned funds, Karnataka also displayed a low average unemployment rate of 3 per cent and a high proportion of employment provided-to-demanded of 92 per cent. Similarly, Maharashtra had a low average unemployment rate of 5 per cent and a high proportion of employment provided-to-demanded of 90 per cent. 

Haryana, on the other hand,  was sanctioned the least amount of funds under MGNREGS at just Rs. 15 per capita. Haryana also reported a very high average unemployment rate of 29 per cent and a moderate proportion of employment provided-to-demanded under MGNREGS of 85 per cent. 

Thus, low funds sanctioned in FY 2021-22 affected the state’s ability to provide employment under MGNREGS. Increased funds would allow better access to the scheme and decreased proportion of unmet demand.

In this context, then, it was expected that the budget allocation for the scheme in FY 2022-23, would be cognizant of the significance of this social safety net. However,  for the current FY, GoI allocated Rs. 73,000 crore to MGNREGS. This was the same as the BEs for FY 2021-22, but 26 per cent lower than the previous year’s REs.


Source: Union Expenditure Budget, MoRD for FY 2016-17 to FY 2022-23. Note: Figures in crores of Rupees and are Revised Estimates (REs) except for FY 2022-23, which are Budget Estimates (BEs). 

Despite its limitations, the scheme has proven to be the most crucial combating force against the COVID-19 pandemic-induced unemployment. An increase in the scheme’s allocated budget would have allowed for better performance in the current financial year. Unfortunately, the  reduction in the budget  will only lead to a further increase in unmet demand under MGNREGS and low access to the world’s largest social security scheme.


Ria Kasliwal and Jenny Susan John are Research Associates at Accountability Initiative.


Also Read: In a Glance: MGNREGS Wages

पॉलिसी बझ

हे पॉलिसी बझ तुम्हाला विविध कल्याणकारी योजनांमध्ये काय चालले आहे याविषयी दर 15 दिवसांनी विशेष बातम्या अपडेट करते.

धोरण बातम्या 

  1. 1 लाखाहून अधिक बांधकाम कामगारांना प्रशिक्षित करण्याच्या उद्देशाने गृहनिर्माण आणि शहरी व्यवहार मंत्रालयाने (MoHUA) निर्माण कामगारांना प्रोत्साहन देण्यासाठी राष्ट्रीय पुढाकार (NIPUN) सुरू केला.
  2. सूक्ष्म, लघु आणि मध्यम उद्योग (MSME) ची कामगिरी वाढवण्यासाठी पंतप्रधानांनी MSME कामगिरी वाढवणे आणि वेगवान करणे ही योजना सुरू केली.
  3. गोइंग ऑनलाइन अॅज लीडर्स (GOAL) कार्यक्रमाचा दुसरा टप्पा आदिवासी व्यवहार मंत्रालय आणि META द्वारे आदिवासी तरुण आणि महिलांना डिजिटली अपस्किल आणि सक्षम करण्याच्या उद्देशाने सुरू करण्यात आला.
  4. 63,000 प्राथमिक कृषी पतसंस्था (PACS) च्या संगणकीकरणाला आर्थिक घडामोडींच्या कॅबिनेट समितीने (CCEA) पुढील पाच वर्षांमध्ये ₹ 2,516 कोटी खर्चासह मंजुरी दिली.
  5. अन्न प्रक्रिया उद्योग मंत्रालयाने प्रधानमंत्री किसान संपदा योजना (PMKSY) च्या उप-योजना अंतर्गत अर्ज मागवले आहेत.
  6. प्रायोगिक प्रकल्प फॉर स्किलिंग आदिवासी युवक – ग्रामीण आदिवासी तांत्रिक प्रशिक्षण किंवा ग्रामीण उद्यमी अंतर्गत, 140 आदिवासी तरुणांना ग्राम अभियंता म्हणून प्रशिक्षण पूर्ण केल्याबद्दल प्रमाणपत्र मिळाले आहे.

आरोग्य आणि पोषण

  1. ‘टेक होम रेशन: गुड प्रॅक्टिसेस सर्व राज्य/केंद्रशासित प्रदेश’ हा अहवाल निति आयोग आणि जागतिक अन्न कार्यक्रमाद्वारे प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला. येथे अहवाल वाचा.
  2. सरकारने जारी केलेल्या नवीन नियमांनुसार सरोगसीचा लाभ घेणाऱ्या जोडप्यांनी तीन वर्षांच्या कालावधीसाठी सरोगेट मातेसाठी सामान्य आरोग्य विमा संरक्षण खरेदी करणे आवश्यक आहे.
  3. ‘कोविड-19 चे शमन आणि व्यवस्थापन: भारतीय राज्ये आणि केंद्रशासित प्रदेशांमधून आयुष-आधारित प्रॅक्टिसेसचे संकलन’ निति आयोगाने प्रसिद्ध केले. ते इथे वाचा.

शिक्षण

  1. 2018-19 आणि 2019-20 साठी जिल्हा स्तरावरील शालेय शिक्षण प्रणालीच्या कामगिरीचे मूल्यमापन करणाऱ्या जिल्ह्यांसाठी (PGI-D) कामगिरी श्रेणी निर्देशांक शालेय शिक्षण आणि साक्षरता विभागाकडून जारी करण्यात आला.
  2. दिल्ली सरकारने सरकारी, सरकारी अनुदानित आणि मान्यताप्राप्त विनाअनुदानित शाळांसाठी आवेदन कौशल्यावरील विद्यार्थ्यांच्या मूल्यांकनासाठी नवीन मूल्यमापन मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वे जारी केली आहेत.
  3. ‘द स्टेट ऑफ ग्लोबल लर्निंग पॉव्हर्टी: २०२२ अपडेट’ हे जागतिक बँक, युनिसेफ, एफसीडीओ, यूएसएआयडी, बिल अँड मेलिंडा गेट्स फाऊंडेशन आणि युनेस्कोच्या भागीदारीत संयुक्त प्रकाशन म्हणून प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आले. येथे अहवाल वाचा.
  4. युनायटेड नेशन्स ग्लोबल फंड फॉर एज्युकेशन फॉर आपत्कालीन परिस्थिती आणि प्रदीर्घ संकटे, एज्युकेशन नॉट वेट (ECW) द्वारे ‘जागतिक अंदाज: संकटग्रस्त मुले आणि किशोरवयीन मुलांची संख्या’ अहवाल प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला. येथे अहवाल वाचा.

स्वच्छता

  1. स्वच्छ भारत मिशन-शहरी 2.0 अंतर्गत गृहनिर्माण आणि शहरी व्यवहार मंत्रालयाने (MoHUA) एकाधिक प्रमाणपत्रांसाठी सुधारित स्वच्छ प्रमाणन प्रोटोकॉल सुरू केले आहेत.

इतर बातम्या

  1. रिझर्व्ह बँकेने आर्थिक स्थिरता अहवाल (FSR) चा 25 वा अंक जारी केला. येथे अहवाल वाचा.
  2. युनायटेड नेशन्स ह्युमन सेटलमेंट प्रोग्राम (UN-Habitat) द्वारे वर्ल्ड सिटीज रिपोर्ट 2022 लाँच करण्यात आला. अहवालातील महत्त्वाचे निष्कर्ष येथे वाचा.
  3. ‘इंडियाज बूमिंग गिग आणि प्लॅटफॉर्म इकॉनॉमी’ अहवाल निति आयोगाने लाँच केला. येथे अहवाल वाचा.
  4. अंतर्गत विस्थापनावर एक कृती अजेंडा संयुक्त राष्ट्र महासचिवांनी अंतर्गत विस्थापनावरील महासचिवांच्या उच्च-स्तरीय पॅनेलच्या अहवालावर आधारित सुरू केला.

हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 4 जुलै 2022 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.

Policy Buzz

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news – Policy Buzz – published every fortnight.

Policy News

  1. National Initiative for Promoting Upskilling of Nirman workers (NIPUN) was launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) with an aim to train over 1 lakh construction workers.
  2. The Raising and Accelerating MSME Performance scheme was launched by the Prime Minister to enhance the performance of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME).
  3. The second phase of the Going Online As Leaders (GOAL) programme was launched by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and META with an aim to digitally upskill and empower tribal youth and women. 
  4. Computerisation of 63,000 Primary Agriculture Credit Societies (PACS) was approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) over the next five years with an outlay of ₹2,516 crore.
  5. Applications under sub-schemes of Pradhan Mantri Kisan Sampada Yojana (PMKSY) have been invited by the Ministry of Food Processing Industries.
  6. Under the Pilot Project for Skilling Tribal Youth – Rural Tribal Technical Training or Grameen Udyami, 140 tribal youths received certificates for completing training as village engineers.

Health & Nutrition 

  1. ‘Take Home Ration: Good Practices across the State/Union Territories’ report was released by NITI Aayog and World Food Program. Read the report here.
  2. A general health insurance cover for the surrogate mother for a period of three years needs to be purchased by the couples availing surrogacy as per new rules issued by the government.
  3. ‘Mitigation and Management of COVID-19: Compendium of Ayush-based Practices from Indian States and Union Territories’ was released by NITI Aayog. Read it here.

Education 

  1. The Performance Grading Index for Districts (PGI-D), which evaluates the school education system’s performance at district level, for 2018-19 and 2019-20 were released by the Department of School Education and Literacy. 
  2. New assessment guidelines to evaluate students on application skills have been issued by the Delhi Government for government, government-aided and recognised unaided schools.
  3. ‘The State of Global Learning Poverty: 2022 Update’ was released as a joint publication of the World Bank, UNICEF, FCDO, USAID, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and in partnership with UNESCO. Read the report here.
  4. ‘Global Estimates: Number of Crisis-Affected Children and Adolescents in Need of Education Support’ report was released by the United Nations global fund for education in emergencies and protracted crises, Education Cannot Wait (ECW). Read the report here.

Sanitation

  1. Revised Swachh Certification Protocols for multiple certifications were launched by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) under Swachh Bharat Mission-Urban 2.0. 

Other News

  1. The 25th issue of the Financial Stability Report (FSR) was released by the Reserve Bank of India. Read the report here.
  2. World Cities Report 2022 was launched by the United Nations Human Settlement Programme (UN-Habitat). Read the key findings of the report here.
  3. The ‘India’s Booming Gig and Platform Economy’ report was launched by the NITI Aayog. Read the report here.  
  4. An Action Agenda on Internal Displacement was launched by the UN General Secretary based on the report of the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement.  

Also Read: Build Something that Lasts in the System for a Long Time: Interview with IAS Minal Karanwal

Build Something that Lasts in the System for a Long Time: Interview with IAS Minal Karanwal

The bureaucracy is considered to be the steel framework that makes the country’s development aspirations a reality, but little is understood in the public about the people behind the scenes. State Speak is an exclusive interview series by the Accountability Initiative featuring insights from IAS officers posted in India’s districts and other public officials who have a vantage point on how the country is being governed, related challenges and best practices. 

In this interview, we spoke with Minal Karanwal who is an early-career IAS officer from the 2019 batch of the Maharashtra cadre. She is currently posted as Sub-Divisional Magistrate and Project Officer, Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) in Nandurbar of Maharashtra.


Q. Can you take us through a day in your life as a young IAS officer? What are the kind of activities that you are engaged in, problems you are solving, and plans you are making?

Minal Karanwal: I am currently holding two different positions in two separate departments. I start my day at the Sub-Divisional Magistrate office where I work in the Revenue Department. The office is a little hectic and deals with immediate issues like law and order, land disputes, construction, permissions, etc. A lot of grievance redressal happens there. 

After finishing work at the SDM office, I move to my Project Office under the ITDP, which is concerned with implementing developmental schemes for the tribal population in the area. 


Q. Nandurbar has been identified as one of India’s most backward districts by the Ministry of Panchayati Raj. It is now being developed as an Aspirational District. What are the governance challenges you face and how are you working on resolving these challenges?

Minal Karanwal: There is a bit of a misconception that people have towards a backward or an Aspirational District. I was actually talking to my field-level workforce a few days back, and this is when I told them they need to realise that, as a headquarter, Nandurbar Block even has private, mobile-based food delivery services! Yes, the living conditions are not at par with a big city, but it is also not a place where you cannot survive. 

There are a lot of funds that come into aspirational districts. So, for me, it is a celebration, because I handle a project of a hundred plus crores of rupees. And another project in this district handles Rs. 340 crores, and then the district has a separate fund of Rs. 150 crores. So, one can imagine the amount of money that comes into the district. I don’t want to say that because there’s money or because there’s funding that governance becomes exciting, but of course it becomes easier than it would be in non-aspirational districts.

The only problem of working in an Aspirational District are the assumptions. I’ll give you a small example. Nandurbar is known to have high malnutrition rates. When I used to talk to the local officers who have been working for 20 years and asked them the reason, the first response I got was “ye log khud nahi chahte ki vo kuposhan se bahar nikle” (They do not want to come out of malnutrition) or “the mother has 4-5 children and she’s married early, so she doesn’t know and she doesn’t care”. I remember an SNCU (Special Newborn Care Unit) in a district hospital sharing the challenge that they keep calling mothers to breastfeed, but the mothers don’t come. 

So, what has happened is that there are a lot of these assumptions that were carved out because of the inability to succeed. And it is nobody’s fault. It is how we get stuck in a problem sometimes and we give ourselves the benefit of the doubt. When there is a lot of malnutrition, or there is a lot of illiteracy, we pin it down to “they don’t want to learn”, because we’ve failed at resolving that problem. That is the biggest governance challenge I have, and am trying to move past.


Q. Do you believe that there is a need for retraining there, and how frontline workers and officials work with the communities?

Minal Karanwal: Definitely. So, there are two projects I’ve been working on, and I remember one of the teachers here messaged me and said that for the first time someone had looked at them not as powerless and useless, but as a resource. He felt like, for the first time, we were not dependent on any development partner, because I have severe reservations with that. Or, you know, let’s say, just me telling them what to do. 

I think frontline workers are very powerful. They have been on the field in their own department, so they become specialists over a period of time with what they have been doing, no matter how small it is. So let’s say an AWW (Anganwadi Worker) might just be giving khichdi to a mother, but she knows exactly what the problems are in making that khichdi and then actually feeding it. For us, she becomes a huge resource person. 

Looking down upon them and belittling their contribution, I don’t believe in that. I have seen so much expertise existing on ground, especially with health. When I see my medical officers or community health officers, they know; it is just that they are not free from the system to act on their own. So that’s a huge problem.


Q. You recently published a research paper, and in this respect, you have donned the hat of a researcher. What role do you think quality data plays in decision-making and policy implementation?

Minal Karanwal: A lot! It is insane how data are completely underutilised in this nation. And there’s data everywhere. I’ve read Herbert Simon, because I’ve been a public administration student, and he has said that the biggest problem with data is data overload, not that it’s scarce or of bad quality. If you meet an Anganwadi worker, you’ll see that she’s filling a register all the time, but what is she doing with it? What is anybody sitting at the district headquarters doing with it? Nobody knows! 

I’ll give you a small example. In Nandurbar we’re now launching an app to track breastfeeding. We’ve realised that there is a weight gain velocity because of breastfeeding. We are trying to bring this to the field. So, initially also, there was a huge amount of data on HBNC (Home Based Newborn Care) to track a baby’s weight gain. There was so much data being recorded in registers, yet nobody was monitoring it, nobody was being held accountable. So, data are not just a standalone fact or a point, they need to be connected to some kind of discovery or some kind of policy solution, or not even policy, just a solution for the benefit of the child. 

Also, this is a very funny thing that 2.5 kgs is the mean weight of a child anywhere in this country, because anything below 2.5 kgs – even 2.49 kgs – means that the child is SAM (Severe Acute Malnourished) or MAM (Moderate Acute Malnourished), and the AWW would have to do more work. So what she does is, instead of putting [recording] 2.49 kgs, she’ll put 2.5 kgs. Now, with this algorithm, we can also read the fact that somebody is entering similar kinds of weight gains over a period of time. 


Q. Can you suggest some data practices for other young administrators to actually make use of data which is available in the field?

Minal Karanwal: I think all young administrators who enter the service should first know what data politics is, because there’s a huge amount of data politics on the field. Of course there is manipulation but you need to understand why, for example, is the teacher manipulating her FLN (Foundational Literacy and Numeracy) data. Because it’s related to punishment or incentive. 

 Understand where your data are lacking. You have data, good enough, but what do you not have on your plate? And what do you get out of your data? So, if you feel like out of a sample of 100 people, you are getting a good enough conclusion for a larger area, good for you. But in my opinion, do sit with it, analyse, reanalyse, question, and then come to a conclusion because it’s easier. I don’t feel it’s a domain of sophisticated statisticians or data analysts. It’s very basic, if you understand the problem, you understand the reporting, and then you understand the solution you will have your answer by yourself.


Q. India is celebrating the 75th year of independence. As per you, what will be the role of the IAS cadre going forward? 

Minal Karanwal: In my opinion the service community, as a whole, should try to be more aware of the field. So I always say this jokingly that we are talking about artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics and the new India, which we should, and there are parts of India that are ready for AI and smart cities. But there are a lot of basic questions that India still needs to deal with. 

There are questions of hunger, basic health, anaemia, child marriage, early childbirth, birth spacing, that we’re still dealing with. To say that “ye log apni madad khud karenge” (they’ll help themselves) or that they just don’t listen to us, is akin to shedding responsibility. 


Q. What is the kind of support that you think early career civil servants will need to be able to grow?

Minal Karanwal:. I’m not a very big supporter of the development partners in the field that come and spoon feed officers, and the same goes for research institutions. I want officers to be confident and open-minded of who they are and where they’ve reached. Clearing this exam itself is a big challenge; you’ve cleared it, you’re here now, you’re in a decision-making position. 

When you sit on such an important pedestal, you are free to evaluate anybody who comes to you, but that evaluation should happen from a perspective of public service. Now, public service, again, is not only rhetorical, like I want to help people. Helping people will become the consequential outcome of something that you will do, but realise that you sit in a system as huge as an elephant. And that system is very powerful! 

I always say that, no matter what an NGO or what a research institute can do in a particular area, your decision will have a fast and loud impact on your jurisdiction. When you sign a file, and you’re sitting on a system that is actually promoting your decisions, and you have an entire hierarchy promoting your decisions, imagine the amount of power with you. So that should lead to a lot of sensitivity, responsibility, and also a very humble realisation that you are capable enough of bringing a change through the system. So don’t work outside of it. Do not make temporary solutions with partners on the field, build something that lasts in the system for a very long time. 


Q. According to you, what are the governance challenges that India will be looking at in the next 10 years?

Minal Karanwal: [Awareness is a good thing and a bad thing.] When people get aware, it helps us. Let’s say when COVID-19 came, and people were aware that they had to be away from each other or wear masks, it helped the administration. But also given that there is a lot of awareness of the wrong things, with wrong information out there, with wrong data, a lot of people are not really going in-depth on what they’re listening to. That creates a lot of challenges for us, because you need to realise how precarious our position becomes. 

If we tend to ‘fight’ with a citizen, for example, they say that we’re very high handed. If we don’t, we see the citizen right in front of us promoting something that we know will harm other citizens. So that kind of wrong awareness and the wrong confidence that comes with it has been a huge challenge, at least for me, on the field. 

The second challenge would be resource management. When people look at the environment or people look at any other resource, they tend to be very selfish with it, including myself. And these resources are depleting every day. Managing them at a point of time when we’ll be short of them would be a huge challenge.  

Minal Karanwal Quote

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

Editorial inputs by Avantika Shrivastava. 

The opinions expressed are personal and do not represent an institutional stand. 


Also read: We Need to Listen to the Communities We Work With: Interview with IAS Dr. Mittali Sethi

How to have a Proactive Lokayukta

I concluded my last blog by asserting that greater outreach is probably the best way to make the institution of Lokayukta effective. At first sight, this may sound clichéd; after all, every public reform needs outreach and education of citizens. It stands to reason therefore that anti-corruption agencies also need to walk down the same path. However, there is more to public outreach than the anti-corruption head being seen constantly in the media; raising awareness amongst the public about corruption involves more pointed effort than projecting a high profile anti-corruption regulator’s image.

Starting at the very beginning, we need to take a critical look at who are the individuals who are selected as Lokayuktas.

The state laws in India restrict the choice of Lokayukta to either a retired Supreme Court Justice or a Retired Chief Justice of a state. In some cases, the field may be widened to include a retired Justice of a High Court as well. Be that as it may, no Lokayukta legislation enables anybody else to be selected as a Lokayukta.

The commanding rationale for restricting the choice to a tiny cohort of eligible individuals is because the Lokayukta often is given the power to investigate complaints against chief ministers and other high members of the political and permanent executive, and therefore, it is appropriate that a person of a high status ought to be given the position. However, at the risk of sounding iconoclastic, I believe that that paradigm also carries with it several disadvantages.

  • First, it cannot be assumed that anybody coming from the judiciary is an individual of high integrity. Both the judiciary and the higher bureaucracy are not epitomes of virtue. Furthermore, they are not exactly great examples of administrative efficiency either if one considers the languid pace of decision-making by both.
  • Second, even if people of high integrity are chosen for these positions, anti-corruption activity requires a range of professional expertise. While professional investigators and prosecutors are obviously necessary, what is overlooked is that the most effective antidote against corruption is process change, and that is not something that comes easily to those who have served in the establishment for long, upholding the status quo.
  • Third, and above all, much corruption happens because there is a public out there who, by virtue of fear, resignation or connivance, easily part with bribes to the corrupt. Catching the corrupt, which is what most Lokayuktas do, means that the persons who pay them bribes are also in the dock, which amounts to a strong disincentive for them to complain in the first place about bribery.

Thus, the Lokayukta needs to reach out in a big way to the public, to make them aware of the perils of corruption, to exhort them to take courage and resist bribery, to make them aware of supporting process change, which may inconvenience them during the transitional phase and to embolden them to complain when faced with demands for bribes.

In addition, the Lokayukta needs to project itself as a guardian angel, an agency that assures the public who may otherwise feel alone and cornered when pushed around by the corrupt.

The point therefore is that who is best equipped to do these multiple tasks, which call for different skills, ought to be selected for the task.

One of the great deficiencies in India is that there is a shortage of anti-corruption professionals. When seeking them out, the choice naturally falls upon judges and police personnel, but both are involved in catching the corrupt, not in preventing corruption from happening. One would expect bureaucrats to be more in that line of work, but there too it is the odd exception who has made a dent in preventing corruption.

Most, caught in a severely corrupt system where politicians have no interest whatsoever in reducing corruption, tend to look away from it and do little to resist it.

What is most deficient are communication skills. Both judges and bureaucrats are trained to keep their opinions to themselves; it’s a necessary trait for both conveying an air of impartiality and executing it. For such individuals, it goes against the grain to talk to people and persuade them to change their ways.

In such circumstances, I would broadly suggest that the institution ought to be recast and reformed.

While a retired Justice from the Supreme Court or High Court to head the institution may be necessary in order to safeguard its high profile and assure people that tackling corruption is indeed a high priority, there are dangers inherent in positioning such an individual as the sole voice of the institution. UpaLokayuktas, who are supposed to aid the Lokayukta in the performance of her duties, are bogged down with performing the task of disciplinary action tribunals. That task may be taken away from them, so as to enable them to focus on preventive action and outreach.

Below them, the police dominated investigating wings should be supplemented by professionally competent educators and management professionals. While the former will focus on building an outreach programme, the latter ought to work on undertaking detailed studies on how corruption plays out in various corruption prone departments. This is not the same as the work of an administrative reforms commission, which often glosses over the issue of corruption and focusses only on improving efficiency.

Once these studies are undertaken to detail the corruption prone processes within departments and how they might be cured, then the Lokayukta has something more in hand other than catching the corrupt. That could make the institution much more effective as compared to its current patchy record. 


While professional investigators and prosecutors are obviously necessary, what is overlooked is that the most effective antidote against corruption is process change


T.R. Raghunandan is an Advisor at the Accountability Initiative. 


Also Read: Enrollment Falls In Private Schools Due To Covid-19-Induced Income Shock

भारत में गैर-सरकारी संस्थाओं की भूमिका अहम क्यों हैं?

अधिकतर नागरिक ये समझते हैं कि गैर संस्थाओं का मुख्य कार्य जमीनीस्तर पर जरुरतमन्दो को मूलभूत वस्तुए, जैसे भोजन, कपडा, आवास आदि, उपलब्ध करवाना या उसमे सहायता देना होता है। लेकिन ये पूरी तस्वीर नही है। दरअसल भारत जैसे विकाशील देश में गैर-सरकारी संस्थाओं की भूमिका एवं ज़िम्मेदारियाँ बहुत अधिक विस्तृत हैं। इनके कार्यो को मुख्य रूप से इस प्रकार वर्गीकृत किया जा सकता है-

• शासनीय अंतर को भरना: गैर सरकारी संस्थाए सरकारी कार्यक्रमों के क्रियान्वयन में आईं खामियों को दूर करने का प्रयास करती हैं और उन लोगों तक पहुँचती हैं जो अक्सर शासन की परियोजनाओं से अछूते रह जाते हैं। उदाहरण के लिये प्रथम संस्था जो शिक्षा में गुणवक्ता स्तर को बढाने के लिए सरकार के साथ काम करती है एवं अपने जमीनी आंकड़ो से रूबरू कराती है। कोविड-19 संकट में भी प्रवासी श्रमिकों को सहायता करने के लिए कई संस्थाओं ने धन- अन्न का सहयोग किया, इस कठोर समय में छोटे संस्थाओं के काफी बेहतरीन उदाहरण मिले जैसे इब्तिदा जिसने राशन अभियान के माध्यम से हर जरूरत मंद की सहायता करी। ऐसे कई संस्थाओं के कार्यो के उदहारण आपको हमारी वेबसाइट हमारी सरकार पर भी मिल जायेंगे।

• अधिकार संबंधी भूमिका: समाज में कोई भी बदलाव लाने के लिये जैसे बाल विवाह एवं बाल मजदूरी निषेध अधिकार, महिला- पुरुष समनता, सभी को शिक्षा का अधिकार जैसे कई कार्यो हेतु लोगों को जागृत एवं उनकी सहायता करने के अलावा सामुदायिक-स्तर पर इन अधिकारों को बनाये रखने के लिए संगठन और स्वयं सहायता समूहो के गठन एवं प्रबन्धन की भूमिका महत्त्वपूर्ण हैं।

• दबाव समूह के रूप में कार्य करना: ऐसी गैर सरकारी संस्थाए भी हैं जो सरकार की नीतियों और कार्यों में कमियों पर जनता की राय जुटाते हैं। वे गुणवत्ता सेवा की मांग के लिये लोगो को संगठित करते हैं और ज़मीनी स्तर पर शासन की जवाबदेही के लिये सामुदायिक प्रयास करते हैं। उदहारण के लिए राजस्थान में मजदुर-किसान शक्ति संगठन(एम.के.एस.एस) ने लोगों को संगठित किया जिसने सुचना का अधिकार, 2005 पारित होने में बहुत महत्वपूर्ण भूमिका निभाई। यह संगठन राजस्थान में जवाबदेही कानून लाने के लिए अभी भी प्रयासरत है

• सहभागी शासन में भूमिका: कई गैर सरकारी संस्थाओं की पहल ने देश में कुछ पथ-प्रदर्शक कानूनों के लागू होने में अपना योगदान दिया है । इसमें शिक्षा का अधिकार अधिनियम, 2009, वन अधिकार अधिनियम, 2006 और सूचना का अधिकार अधिनियम, 2005 शामिल हैं।

• सामाजिक दृष्टीकोण में बदलाव लाना: सामाजिक और व्यवहारिक दृष्टिकोण को बदलने के लिये विभिन्न सामाजिक कार्यकर्ताओं द्वारा समाज के अलग-अलग स्तरों पर हस्तक्षेप किया जाता है। जैसे जहाँ लोग अभी भी अंधविश्वास और रीति-रिवाज में फंसे हुए हैं, वहाँ गैर सरकारी संस्थाए उत्प्रेरक के रूप में कार्य करती हैं और लोगों में जागरूकता पैदा करती हैं।

भारत में लगभग 3.4 करोड़ गैर-सरकारी संस्थाए हैं, इस हिसाब से देश में लगभग हर 400 लोगों के लिये एक गैर सरकारी संस्था है जो ऊपर वर्णित एवं अन्य कार्यो में अपनी भूमिका निभा रहे है। और सच यह भी है कि भारत में जिस तरह से सिविल सेवी संस्थाओं ने जमीनी स्तर पर अपनी पहुँच बनाई है, निंसंदेह वह प्रशंसनीय है।

खासकर हाल ही के कोविड-19 के दौरान गैर सरकारी संगठनों के प्रयास किसी से छुपे नहीं है। सभी गैर सरकारी संगठनों ने सरकार के साथ कंधे से कन्धा मिलाकर इस मुश्किल वक्त का सामना किया तथा लोगों को सेवाएं पहुंचाने का काम किया है।

कुल मिला के बात ये है कि अब आप के सामने जब गैर सरकारी संस्थाओं का नाम आये तो आपको सिर्फ ये ना लगे कि ये संस्थाए बस जमीनी स्तर पर राशन या योजनाओं के लाभ दिलाने में नागरिको की सहयता ही करते है, बल्कि अब आपके विचारों में ये परिपक्वता हो कि देश के गुणवक्तापूर्ण विकास में इनका कितना महत्वपूर्ण योगदान है। इसी में ही इस छोटे से लेख का उद्देश्य समाहित है।

राकेश स्वामी एकाउंटेबिलिटी इनिशिटिव में पैसा एसोसिएट के पद पर कार्यरत हैं |

Karnataka’s Learning from National Achievement Survey 2021

The release of the National Achievement Survey (NAS) 2021 results is an opportune moment for evaluating the status of education systems in the country. With over 1.18 lakh schools and 34 lakh students assessed under the survey, NAS 2021 provides comprehensive information with variables such as learning outcomes and perceptions of obstacles faced by teachers and students during the pandemic. However, despite celebrating the extensive exercise coordinated across many union and state departments, the results are alarming and call for immediate action to make up for learning losses.

As per the NAS, in Karnataka and across the country, learning levels tend to be lower among students in higher classes. In mathematics, students in Class 10 have performed 25 percentage points lower than those in Class 3. Similarly, learning outcomes in science declined by 23 percentage points. Students in Class 10 in the state have performed above the national average in social science, below average in mathematics, and have met the average in science.

The pandemic may appear as the most obvious cause of this learning decline, as visible when comparing student performances in Class 10 in 2017 and 2021, which have dropped by 44 score points in mathematics and 55 points in science. The pandemic’s impact includes obstacle-ridden migration to online (and later hybrid) learning and a lack of learning support in households. In Karnataka, a third of the students assessed in Class 10 did not have access to a digital device, and this statistic is even higher among students in Classes 3 and 5, implying that at least a third of the students in the state could not learn during school closures.

The data also presents unexplained anomalies with students in Class 8, where 73 per cent of students assessed did not have a digital device at home compared to 34 per cent in Class 10. In contrast to the average of 40 per cent students across other classes, 98 per cent of students in Class 8 reported facing ‘obstacles to learning during the pandemic.’

A closer look at the data on how Bengaluru has performed reveals that the suburban region performs the worst in Class 10. Only 25 per cent of students are proficient or at an advanced level in Bengaluru Rural, compared to 31 per cent in Bengaluru Urban North. This difference in performance that increases with progression in grades, calls for a greater focus on developing better schools in suburban neighbourhoods as the city continues to grow – a challenge not new to administrators.

While NAS 2021 provides us with an outlook on what challenges education system faces, the responsibility of why these persist and how to solve them rests with the state government. Now that states have evidence from randomised data at the district level, policymakers must focus on developing actionable tools to solve the myriad challenges. This includes ensuring pedagogical support for teachers and required technology and learning material at home for students to catch up with the loss. The state government must now dedicate financial and human resources to evaluate these findings further and strengthen reforms with renewed intentions of meeting higher standards.


Sidharth Santhosh is a Research Associate at Accountability Initiative. 


Also Read: A Missed Milestone: How India has been Unable to Boost Public Education Spending to 6% of GDP

पॉलिसी बज़्ज़

विभिन्न कल्याणकारी योजनाओं में क्या घटित हो रहा है, यह पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ आपको हर 15 दिन के अंदर ख़ास ख़बरों के साथ अपडेट करता है |

नीतियों से जुडी खबरें

  1. प्रधानमंत्री कार्यालय द्वारा 13 क्रेडिट-लिंक्ड सरकारी योजनाओं के लिए राष्ट्रीय जन समर्थ पोर्टल लॉन्च किया ।
  2. केंद्रीय वित्त और कॉर्पोरेट मामलों के मंत्री द्वारा सार्वजनिक वित्तीय प्रबंधन प्रणाली (पी.एफ.एम.एस) का एकल नोडल एजेंसी डैशबोर्ड लॉन्च किया गया।
  3. सड़क पर आ चुके बच्चों (सी.आई.एस.एस) के पुनर्वास प्रक्रिया में मदद करने के लिए राष्ट्रीय बाल अधिकार संरक्षण आयोग ने बाल स्वराज पोर्टल के तहत सी.आई.एस.एस एप्लिकेशन लॉन्च किया।  
  4. कर्मचारी राज्य बीमा निगम (ईएसआईसी) स्वास्थ्य बीमा योजना, कर्मचारी राज्य बीमा (ई.एस.आई), पूरे देश में जल्द ही लागू की जाएगी |
  5. रेल मंत्रालय द्वारा रेलवे नवाचार नीति, स्टार्टअप्स फॉर रेलवेज, शुरू की गई।
  6. सामाजिक न्याय और अधिकारिता मंत्रालय द्वारा दिव्यांग व्यक्तियों के लिए राष्ट्रीय नीति के मसौदे पर जनता के सुझाव आमंत्रित किये है। सार्वजनिक सूचना और ड्राफ्ट नीति यहाँ पढ़ें।
  7. इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स और सूचना प्रौधोगिकी मंत्रालय द्वारा सूचना प्रौधोगिकी (मध्यवर्ती दिशानिर्देश और डिजिटल मीडिया आचार संहिता) नियम 2021 में संशोधन के लिए प्रस्तावित ड्राफ्ट पर जनता की राय आमंत्रित की गई हैं। प्रेस नोट और प्रस्तावित ड्राफ्ट संशोधन यहां उपलब्ध हैं।

स्वास्थ्य और पोषण

  1. भारतीय खाध सुरक्षा और मानक प्राधिकरण द्वारा राज्य खाध सुरक्षा सूचकांक 2021-22 पर रिपोर्ट जारी की है। पूरी रिपोर्ट यहां पढ़ें।
  2. महिला एवं बाल विकास मंत्रालय द्वारा राज्यों को निर्देश दिया गया है कि प्रवासी परिवारों के लिए बाल विकास सेवाओं की पहुंच को सरल बनाया जाए।
  3. विश्व स्वास्थ्य संगठन द्वारा ‘वर्ल्ड मेंटल हेल्थ रिपोर्ट: ट्रांसफॉर्मिंग मेंटल हेल्थ फॉर ऑल’ प्रकाशित की गई।
  4. सरकार द्वारा आई.सी.डी.एस के अंर्तगत टेक-होम राशन में आयुष घटक को जोड़ने के लिए गुजरात और कर्नाटक में पायलट परियोजनाएं चलाई है।

शिक्षा

  1. विश्वविधालय अनुदान आयोग द्वारा विश्वविधालयों और कॉलेजों को जेंडर चैंपियंस के दिशानिर्देशों को लागू करने के लिए कहा है।
  2. कोविड-19 महामारी के दौरान शिक्षा मंत्रालय द्वारा पी.एम ई-विद्या योजना के तहत आई.सी.टी. के उपयोग ने यूनेस्कों की मान्यता प्राप्त की है।

अन्य खबरें

  1. प्रशासनिक सुधार और लोक शिकायत विभाग द्वारा राष्ट्रीय ई-गवर्नेंस सर्विस डिलीवरी असेसमेंट 2021 रिपोर्ट जारी की गई। पूरी रिपोर्ट यहां पढ़ें।
  2. राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी कार्यालय द्वारा चतुर्वार्षिक आवधिक श्रम बल सर्वेक्षण (पी.एल.एफ.एस) रिपोर्ट जारी की है। रिपोर्ट के प्रमुख परिणाम यहां उपलब्ध हैं।
  3. सांख्यिकी और कार्यक्रम कार्यान्वयन मंत्रालय द्वारा भारत में प्रवास 2020-21 रिपोर्ट जारी की गई थी। 
  4. संयुक्त राष्ट्र शरणार्थी उच्चायुक्त (यू.एन.एच.सी.आर) द्वारा प्रकाशित ग्लोबल ट्रेंड्स रिपोर्ट के अनुसार जारी जलवायु परिवर्तन और आपदाओं के कारण देश में लगभग 50 लाख लोग विस्थापित हुए हैं।
  5. भारतीय रिज़र्व बैंक द्वारा पेमेंट्स विज़न 2025 दस्तावेज़ जारी किया गया। दस्तावेज़ का उद्देश्य “किसी भी समय और कहीं भी सुलभ भुगतान विकल्पों के साथ उपभोक्ता को सशक्त बनाने के क्षेत्र में भुगतान प्रणाली को सरल बनाना है।” दस्तावेज़ यहाँ उपलब्ध है।
  6. जनजातीय कार्य मंत्रालय द्वारा आजादी का अमृत महोत्सव समारोह के भाग के रूप में नई दिल्ली में राष्ट्रीय जनजातीय अनुसंधान संस्थान का आरम्भ किया गया

यह लेख पॉलिसी बज़्ज़ के अंग्रेजी संस्करण पर आधारित है जो 21 जून 2022 को प्रकाशित हुआ था।

पॉलिसी बझ

हे पॉलिसी बझ तुम्हाला विविध कल्याणकारी योजनांमध्ये काय चालले आहे याविषयी दर 15 दिवसांनी विशेष बातम्या अपडेट करते.

धोरण बातम्या 

  1. जन समर्थ पोर्टल, 13 क्रेडिट-लिंक्ड सरकारी योजनांसाठी एक राष्ट्रीय पोर्टल, पंतप्रधान कार्यालयाने सुरू केले.
  2. पब्लिक फायनान्शियल मॅनेजमेंट सिस्टम (PFMS) च्या सिंगल नोडल एजन्सी डॅशबोर्डची सुरुवात केंद्रीय वित्त आणि कॉर्पोरेट व्यवहार मंत्री यांनी केली.
  3. बाल स्वराज पोर्टल अंतर्गत बाल हक्क संरक्षण राष्ट्रीय आयोगाने रस्त्यावरील परिस्थितीतील मुलांच्या पुनर्वसन प्रक्रियेत मदत करण्यासाठी CiSS ऍप्लिकेशन सुरू केले.
  4. कर्मचारी राज्य विमा (ESI), कर्मचारी राज्य विमा महामंडळ (ESIC) आरोग्य विमा योजना देशभरात लागू करण्यात येणार आहे.
  5. रेल्वे मंत्रालयाने रेल्वेसाठी स्टार्टअप नाविन्यपूर्ण धोरण सुरू केली आहे.
  6. सामाजिक न्याय आणि सक्षमीकरण मंत्रालयाने अपंग व्यक्तींवरील राष्ट्रीय धोरण (PWD) 2021 च्या मसुद्यावर जनतेकडून सूचना मागवल्या आहेत. सार्वजनिक सूचना आणि मसुदा धोरण येथे वाचा.
  7. 2030 पर्यंत भारताची 500 GW नॉन-जीवाश्म इंधनाची वचनबद्धता साध्य करण्यासाठी वीज (ग्रीन एनर्जी ओपन ऍक्सेसद्वारे नवीकरणीय ऊर्जेचा प्रचार) नियम, 2022 ऊर्जा मंत्रालयाने अधिसूचित केले आहे.
  8. इलेक्ट्रॉनिक्स आणि माहिती तंत्रज्ञान मंत्रालयाने माहिती तंत्रज्ञान (मध्यस्थ मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वे आणि डिजिटल मीडिया आचारसंहिता) नियम, 2021 मध्ये सुधारणा करण्याच्या प्रस्तावित मसुद्यावर सार्वजनिक टिप्पण्या मागवल्या आहेत. प्रेस नोट आणि प्रस्तावित दुरुस्तीचा मसुदा येथे उपलब्ध आहे.

आरोग्य आणि पोषण

  1. भारतीय अन्न सुरक्षा आणि मानक प्राधिकरणाने राज्य अन्न सुरक्षा निर्देशांक 2021-22 चा अहवाल प्रसिद्ध केला. येथे संपूर्ण अहवाल वाचा.
  2. महिला आणि बाल विकास मंत्रालयाने एकात्मिक बाल विकास सेवांमध्ये स्थलांतरित कुटुंबांचा प्रवेश सुनिश्चित करण्याच्या सूचना राज्यांना देण्यात आल्या आहेत.
  3. जागतिक आरोग्य संघटनेने ‘वर्ल्ड मेंटल हेल्थ रिपोर्ट: ट्रान्सफॉर्मिंग मेंटल हेल्थ फॉर ऑल’ प्रकाशित केले आहे.
  4. सरकारद्वारे ICDS अंतर्गत टेक-होम रेशनमध्ये आयुष घटक जोडण्यासाठी गुजरात आणि कर्नाटकमध्ये पथदर्शी प्रकल्प राबविण्यात आले.

शिक्षण

  1. विद्यापीठ अनुदान आयोगाने विद्यापीठे आणि महाविद्यालयांना जेंडर चॅम्पियन्ससाठी मार्गदर्शक तत्त्वे लागू करण्यास सांगितले आहे.
  2. कोविड-19 महामारीच्या काळात शिक्षण मंत्रालयाने पी.एम. ई-विद्या योजनेंतर्गतआई.सी.टी चा वापर करून युनेस्कोची मान्यता मिळवली आहे.

इतर बातम्या

  1. नॅशनल ई-गव्हर्नन्स सर्व्हिस डिलिव्हरी असेसमेंट (NeSDA) 2021 अहवाल प्रशासकीय सुधारणा आणि सार्वजनिक तक्रारी विभागाकडून प्रसिद्ध करण्यात आला. येथे संपूर्ण अहवाल वाचा.
  2. राष्ट्रीय सांख्यिकी कार्यालयाने चौथा वार्षिक पीरियडिक लेबर फोर्स सर्व्हे (PLFS) अहवाल प्रसिद्ध केला. अहवालातील महत्त्वाचे निष्कर्ष येथे उपलब्ध आहेत.
  3. भारतातील स्थलांतर 2020-21 अहवाल सांख्यिकी आणि कार्यक्रम अंमलबजावणी मंत्रालयाने (MoSPI) प्रसिद्ध केला. संपूर्ण अहवाल MoSPI वेबसाइटवर उपलब्ध आहे.
  4. युनायटेड नेशन्स हाय कमिश्नर फॉर रिफ्युजी (UNHCR) ने जारी केलेल्या ग्लोबल ट्रेंड्स अहवालानुसार हवामान बदल आणि आपत्तींमुळे देशातील जवळपास 5 दशलक्ष लोकांचे विस्थापन झाले.
  5. रिझर्व्ह बँक ऑफ इंडिया (RBI) द्वारे पेमेंट्स व्हिजन 2025 दस्तऐवज जारी केले गेले. या दस्तऐवजाचे उद्दिष्ट आहे “पेमेंट सिस्टम्सना परवडणाऱ्या पेमेंट पर्यायांसह वापरकर्त्यांना सक्षम बनवण्याच्या क्षेत्रात कधीही आणि कुठेही प्रवेश करणे.” दस्तऐवज येथे उपलब्ध आहे.
  6. आदिवासी व्यवहार मंत्रालयाने आझादी का अमृत महोत्सव उत्सवाचा एक भाग म्हणून नवी दिल्ली येथे राष्ट्रीय आदिवासी संशोधन संस्थेचे उद्घाटन केले आहे.

हा लेख पॉलिसी बझच्या इंग्रजी आवृत्तीवर आधारित आहे जो 20 जून 2022 रोजी प्रकाशित झाला.

Policy Buzz

Keep up-to-date with all that is happening in welfare policy with this curated selection of news – Policy Buzz – published every fortnight.

Policy News

  1. Jan Samarth Portal, a national portal for 13 credit-linked government schemes, was launched by the Prime Minister’s Office. 
  2. The single nodal agency dashboard of the Public Financial Management System (PFMS) was launched by the Union Minister for Finance & Corporate Affairs. 
  3. CiSS application was launched under the Baal Swaraj portal to help in the rehabilitation process of Children in Street Situations (CiSS) by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights. 
  4. Employees’ State Insurance (ESI), the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation’s (ESIC) health insurance scheme, will be implemented throughout the country
  5. Startups for Railways, a railway innovation policy was launched by the Ministry of Railways. 
  6. Public feedback on the draft National Policy on Persons with Disabilities (PwD), 2021 has been invited by the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. Read the public notice and draft policy here
  7. Electricity (Promoting Renewable Energy Through Green Energy Open Access) Rules, 2022 were notified by the Ministry of Power in order to achieve India’s commitment of 500 GW of non-fossil fuel by 2030.
  8. Public comments on the proposed draft for amendment to the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 have been invited by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The press note and proposed draft amendment are available here.

Health & Nutrition 

  1. Report on State Food Safety Index 2021-22 was released by the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India. Read the complete report here
  2. States have been instructed to ensure migrating families’ access to Integrated Child Development Services by the Ministry of Women and Child Development. 
  3. Pilot projects were carried out in Gujarat and Karnataka to add Ayush component in take-home ration under ICDS by the government.
  4. ‘World Mental Health Report: Transforming Mental Health for All’ was published by the World Health Organisation. 

Education 

  1. Universities and colleges have been asked to implement the guidelines for Gender Champions by the University Grants Commission. 
  2. Use of ICT under the PM eVidya scheme, by the Ministry of Education, during the COVID-19 pandemic has won UNESCO’s recognition.

Other News

  1. The National e-Governance Service Delivery Assessment (NeSDA) 2021 report was released by the Department of Administrative Reforms & Public Grievances. Read the complete report here
  2. The fourth annual Periodic Labour Force Survey (PLFS) report was released by the National Statistical Office. The key findings of the report are available here
  3. Migration in India 2020-21 report was released by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI). The complete report is available on the MoSPI website.  
  4. Climate change and disasters led to displacement of nearly 5 million people in the country, according to the Global Trends report released by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). 
  5. Payments Vision 2025 document was released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI). The document aims to “elevate payment systems towards a realm of empowering users with affordable payment options accessible anytime and anywhere.” The document is available here.
  6. The National Tribal Research Institute was inaugurated in New Delhi as a part of the Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav celebrations by the Ministry of Tribal Affairs.

Also Read: India’s Public Investment in Education: Deciphering the Inconsistencies in Official Statistics