Dr Raja Muzaffar Bhat
This winter season we have already witnessed three to four snowfalls until December end. First snowfall of the season on November 7th 2019 was horrible. It damaged lots of apple trees in Kashmir. Right from year 2013 , I have been urging J&K Government to utilize funds available under Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MG-NREGS) also called NREGA for snow clearance in remote areas of J&K and Ladakh. The aim of re-writing this piece with some changes is to impress upon the new dispensation in J&K and Ladakh to ensure timely clearance of snow as there is prediction of more snowfall in January and February months. Timely snow clearance across all the villages especially remotely located places in higher reaches is not possible unless Government does not involve Department of Rural Development who can dovetail NREGA funds available with them. This will serve three purposes
a) Snow clearance can be undertaken at an appropriate time in remote / hilly areas of J&K
b) The activity will generate livelihood for rural youth especially at a time when these youth have no work during winter months.
c) Blacktopped roads won’t be damaged by bull dozers and JCB’s
Uttrakhand takes a lead
During 2014 snowfall I wrote a piece in Srinagar based English daily suggesting utilization of MG NREGA funds for removal of snow from village roads, lanes and other public places. Authorities at the helm did not pay any attention what I had suggested. Their argument of senior officers of Rural Development Department has been that MG-NREGA focusses on creation of physical assets which is not possible during removal of snow from roads, lanes and public places in villages ?For some time I could not counter this narrative. Some years back I went through an article published in Hindustan Times titled “Snow clearance undertaken under NREGA in Uttrakhand “. I was overwhelmed to know that instead of deploying heavy machines,the district administration of Kinnaur in Uttrakhand state had employed local villagers to clear snow from narrow roads of far off villages in Kinnaur district. The payment to these villagers was made under MG- NREGS National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.Infact PWD used to do same thing until early 1990s but after JCBs became popular , the manual snow clearance was stopped. Infact JCB’s or Bull Dozers cause huge damage to blacktopped roads as these machines are not meant for snow clearance .
We are aware of the fact that during winters especially when there is heavy snowfall, the developmental works come to a halt in hilly places like J&K , Himachal and Uttrakhand. This leaves most of the rural labourers jobless for months together. Keeping this in mind, the district administration of Kinnaur had suggested to state government, asking if the job of clearing snow could be carried out under MG-NREGS ? To this, the Department of Rural Development, Government of Uttrakhand said since the road construction and clearing of debris came under essential activity, clearing the snow from roads could be undertaken under the scheme. The Uttrakhand Government finally accorded its consent to allot snow-clearance works under MNREGA. On the other hand in J&K which witnesses much heavy snowfall than Uttrakhand , not a single snow clearance activity has been undertaken under this scheme. Infact former Rural Development Minister Abdul Haq Khan held few meetings with Union Rural Development Ministry few years back but till date snow clearance under MG-NREGS has not been green signal either in J&K or Ladakh by Union Government. I won’t only blame Govt of India , I have been told that J&K Government has also not forwarded any formal proposal to Union Ministry of Rural Development and Panchayati Raj.
Waste Management under NREGS :
Under Swachh Bharat Mission Grameen NREGS funds can be utilized for Solid and Liquid Waste Management by dovetailing the both. If this convergence is possible why cannot authorities utilize NREGS funds for snow clearance ? During execution of Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) in rural areas not much of the physical assets are created except when the implementing agency constructs waste processing sheds etc, but construction of these sheds is only one of the activities under SLWM. Activities like segregation of bio degradable and non-bio degradable waste, cleaning water-bodies , springs and village streams or Information Education and Communication (IEC) work hardly involves any physical asset creation ? For all these works NREGS funds are allowed to be used by Govt of India under SBM Grameen guidelines. When it comes to snow clearance officials say NREGS funds cannot be utilized. I believe J&K Government have not been able to give proper explanation or presentation to the Union Rural Development Ministry in this regard and that is why the case is still in limbo.
The Guideline number 5.10.5 of Swatch Bharat Mission (SBM Grameen) says that for Solid Liquid Waste Management (SLWM) funding earmarked under MG-NREGS can be utilized well in addition to other funds.
The said guideline reads as
“SLWM projects can be made financiallyviable by dovetailing funds from other programmes and sources of funding like MNREGS, MP-LAD, MLA-LAD funds (CDF), Finance Commission funds, CSR contribution, Swachh Bharat Kosh, donor funding etc. Funding from programmes of other Ministries and departments may also be converged”.
Snow clearance work in our state is usually being undertaken by Mechanical Engineering Department and PWD (R&B). These Government organizations are not able to undertake the work within a specified time and the result is public outcry , chaos and confusion. It is advisable that department of Rural Development be involved in snow clearance work in Rural areas where snow clearance vehicles usually reach after a long wait. Department of Rural Development can engage local residents to clear the roads in villages as this was done many decades back. This will not only make remote roads motorable and clear from snow but will also generate jobs for the villagers who usually have no jobs in the winter months. Job creation or Rozgar Guarantee is the very essence of this scheme (MG-NREGS)
Conclusion :
If Government of Uttrakhand can allow snow clearance work in Kinnaur district , why cannot this be done in J&K or Ladakh? Isn’t timely snow clearance an asset ? Isn’t creating livelihoods in harsh winter months an asset ? It is presumed that there would be bungling and corruption if the snow clearance is undertaken under NREGS .The corruption and bungling is not only prerogative of NREGS. Mechanical Engineering and PWD (R&B) officials also prepare fake bills soon after undertaking snow clearance work. It is better to video-graph all the snow clearance works and local residents, panchayat members , civil society and religious organizations can play a great role in this regard. I appeal LG G C Murmu , Chief Secretary B V R Subramanhyam and Secretary Rural Development Sheetal Nanda to give a serious thought to my humble suggestion…..
(The author is an Acumen fellow and Founder of Jammu Kashmir RTI Movement)
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