Some Important government schemes and their analysis

1. Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (2006)
Features:

* Guarantee of hundred days employment yearly unskilled manual work.

* Statutory minimum wage - Rs. 122 - 191/day depending on states, weekly payment.

* Main implementation agency is gram panchayat

* At least one third workers should be women.

* Disbursement of wages through DBT scheme.

Works permissible:
List exhaustive but not limited to , # Water conservation and water harvesting,# drought proofing, # irrigation canals, # land development, # flood control and protection, #rural connectivity to provide all weather access, agriculture related works, # livestock related works, # rural drinking water and sanitation related works etc.
Pros:

* Increase in rural household income

* Decrease in migration due to unemployment up to some extent

* Rural empowerment (specially female, creation of SHGs)

* Resource and asset creation(roads, ponds, canals,

* Generation of many jobs

* Creation of basic facilities in rural areas
Cons:

* Increase in corrupt activities as payment was being managed previously by local bodies.

* Lack of durable asset creation (un-skilled workers and lower durability of work done)

* No uniform policy of government, hurdles in payment as it is jointly shared by center and states

* Lack of farmers during harvesting season due to which agriculture gets affected

* Poor Redressal mechanism.

* Due to high fiscal deficit, financing MNREGA becomes difficult.

* 30% panchayats dont make annual development plans



Possible solutions:

* Addressing shortage of staff at every level

* More improved guidelines to panchayat to make annual development plans

* Awareness programmes for beneficiaries

* Working according to rules to maintain transparency

* Multi level inspection and field visit plans


2. Special Economic zones Act(2005)
Features:

* It is an export processing zone.

* SEZ Act was enacted in 2005, and was passed by Parliament in May 2005.

* It provides a comprehensive policy framework to satisfy the requirements of all principal stakeholders in an SEZ the developer and operator, occupant enterprise, out zone supplier and residents.

* Previously the policy relating to the EPZs/ SEZs was in Foreign Trade Policy while incentives and other facilities were implemented through various notifications and circulars issued by the concerned ministries/departments which were not able to deliver confidence in investors.

* It provides expeditious and single window clearance mechanisms.

* It is a tax haven for exporters
Working:

* The SEZ Act 2005 is mainly divided into 7 different chapters and 3 schedules.

* Board of approval constituted by the central government promotes and ensures orderly development of SEZs

* Central government may set up a zone, proposals of the state governments and private developers are to be screened and approved by the board.

* At the zone level, approval committees are constituted to approve/reject/modify proposals for setting up SEZ units.

* Development Commissioner (DC) and his/her office is responsible for exercising administrative control over a zone.
SEZ act deals with following:

* Establishment of the SEZ and the various authorities constituted in this connection.

* Appointment of the Developer, Co-developers and approval for units to be located in the notified area.

* Exemptions, drawbacks and concessions including exemptions from customs duty (on goods brought into or exported from the SEZ), excise, service tax, securities transaction tax, sales tax and income tax.

* Offshore Banking Unit & International Financial Services Centre. Setting up of offshore banking units / International Financial Services Centre in SEZs.

* Notified Offences & Civil Suits. A single enforcement agency/officer for certain notified offences as well as the designation of courts by the state governments for such offences committed in and for civil suits arising in SEZs.

Incentives offered:

* Exemption from custom duties, central excise duties, service tax, central sales taxes and securities transaction tax to both the developers and the units;

* Tax holidays for 15 years (currently the units enjoy a seven year tax holiday), i e, 100 per cent tax exemption for 5 years, 50 per cent for the next five years, and 50 per cent of the ploughed back export profits for the next five years1; and

* 100 per cent income tax exemption for 10 years in a block period of 15 years for SEZ developers.

Problems/hurdles:

* The Central Government treated domestic supplies as imports into India and applicable customs duties were levied.

* State governments treated such domestic supplies as domestic sales liable to VAT/ CST (Central Sales Tax).

* SAD exemption is only available to domestic supplies in the nature of stock transfers.

* SEZ units also face a stiff challenge to compete in the domestic market due to the Free Trade Agreements entered by India with various countries, allowing domestic importers to import goods from these countries at concessional duties vis--vis the standard duties applicable on procurements from SEZ

* At many places plans are just on paper, delay in materialising the scheme on real grounds

* Land acquisition problems as farmers unwilling to give their land.

* No full approval before 90% land acquisition


2. Integrated child development scheme
One of the worlds largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development , launched on 2ndOctober 1975. Providing pre-school education and countering malnutrition, morbidity, reduced learning capacity and mortality.


Objectives:
The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) Scheme was launched in 1975 with the following objectives:

* To improve the nutritional and health status of children in the age-group 0-6 years;

* To lay the foundation for proper psychological, physical and social development of the child;

* To reduce the incidence of mortality, morbidity, malnutrition and school dropout;

* To achieve effective co-ordination of policy and implementation amongst the various departments to promote child development; and

* To enhance the capability of the mother to look after the normal health and nutritional needs of the child through proper nutrition and health education.
Services:

* Supplementary nutrition,

* Immunization,

* Health check-up,

* Referral services,

* Pre-school non-formal education and

* Nutrition & health education.


Concerned authorities:

* Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare

* Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) has the overall responsibility of monitoring the ICDS scheme.
Funding:

* In funding in respect of supplementary nutrition North-eastern States between Centre and States is 90:10 ratios.

* Other States and UTs, the sharing pattern is of 50:50.

* For all other components of ICDS, the ratio has been modified to 90:10(100% Central Assistance earlier).


The ICDS team:
It comprises the Anganwadi Workers, Anganwadi Helpers, Supervisors, Child Development Project Officers (CDPOs) and District Programme Officers (DPOs). Anganwadi Worker, a lady selected from the local community, is a community based frontline honorary worker of the ICDS Programme. She is also an agent of social change, mobilizing community support for better care of young children, girls and women. Besides, the medical officers, Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) and Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) form a team with the ICDS functionaries to achieve convergence of different services.
Problems:

* The AWC is a point where both demand is created and services are delivered. The study found that AWC network has not fully succeeded in meeting either of its two objectives.

* No toilets at more than 45% ICDS centres

* Shortage of staff/many vacant posts

* Not enough resource provided/supplied on time

* Not good infrastructure facilities or workspaces

* Not achieving its desired result(one in 3 child in Gujarat is facing malnutrition/is underweight)

* Timely follow up and scrutiny not done strictly

* Less awareness due to somewhat ineffective communication between beneficiaries and authorities

* Big shortfall in providing Supplementary Nutrition

Possible solutions:

* Creating awareness among beneficiaries

* Proper control and scrutiny plans and monitoring plans

* More involvement of panchayat to properly monitor and facilitate scheme

* Creating enough infrastructure facilities to cater demands

* Proper sanitation facilities

* Better training of employees to make them more effective in delivering desired services

* As children are future of nation so this is very important scheme for national development so vacant positions should be filled and adequate materials should be provided because only healthy India can be wealthy and prosperous India.
Anurag Mishra
ref

1. http://www.eximguru.com/exim/special_economic_zone_sez/ch_7_sez_act_2005.aspx

2. http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm

3. http://www.childlineindia.org.in/Integrated-Child-Development-Scheme-ICDS.htm

4. http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/peoreport/peo/peo_icds.pdf

5. http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/Every-third-child-in-Gujarat-is-underweight-CAG/Article1-1131138.aspx