Lahaul-Spiti residents take to MNREGS as administration adapts it to their needs

The next year,the government tried to improve upon the performance. A new Deputy Commissioner,Ritesh Chauhan (26) was sent to the district. “We formed teams of officials and went to each of the panchayats of the division. Everybody here owns some land. People said they wanted to avail of MNREG but it was not suited to their needs. The scheme offers work for 6 months. Now,for six months the region is anyway closed by snow,so the only window of work available was from April 15- Nov 15 and in this period,villagers said,they had to work in their own fields,” explains Chauhan. To make the scheme suitable for the villagers,the government has now brought sowing of apple trees within the ambit of MNREGA.

This serves two purposes. Tree saplings are provided by the government so the subsidy goes to the needy and since these are to be to sown in their own fields,farmers’ concern about their fields being ignored was also taken care of. Around 50,000 apple plants were distributed and the response was highly encouraging. Altogether Rs 6 crore was spent on MNREGA in 2009.

Encouraged by the response,the government increased the ambit of the scheme and made it more effective in 2010. As per MNREGA norms,the subsidy can involve two elements,viz 60 per cent of labour cost and 40 per cent of material cost. “While apple plants were included in the material component,we brought in fencing of the fields and digging and preparation of soil in October and November under the labour component,” says Markandey. The spending this year has been Rs 15 crore in which all the 28 panchayats of Lahaul division have now been covered.

To ensure transparency,the administration laid down norms for procurement of trees through a tender process from certified suppliers. The horticulture department gave estimates of the correct cultivation pattern as per which one bigha could accommodate around 20 trees. Assessment of field sizes was carried out and saplings were distributed accordingly.

Locals are happy that this subsidy has enabled direct asset creation. “A good apple orchard can last a family for three generations. The saplings planted today would give their first harvest around 2015,which is when the Rohtang Tunnel will get opened connecting the entire district to the rest of India and ensuring that our produce reaches the right markets,” says Sher Singh,a local resident. Chauahn adds that MNREGA implementation has facilitated social harmony in the district as well. “In winters,the villagers would let their cattle loose. The animals often destroyed crops of other farmers leading to discord. The fencing has reduced such disputes.” Another local adds that since the quality of the apple saplings given by the government is excellent and the climate of the region suitable for apple cultivation,the villagers who till now earned small amounts by growing peas can look forward to an extremely remunerative first harvest in 2015.