The Government today reiterated that it would pay as much attention to working out rules and guidelines for the National Employment Guarantee (NREG) Act as to framing the Act itself. It has also announced the setting up of a inter-state secretary-level advisory group to frame the guidelines before they are formally notified.PM Manmohan Singh today addressed a group of apprehensive rural ministers to allay their fears on the implementation of the Act. He stressed on transparency to make it work. ‘‘The NREG act must be transparent and truly a people’s programme. Therefore, methods of estimation and measurement of works and rates of payment for each task should be made transparent. The labour that seeks work must understand what is offered, on what terms, and demand full entitlement,’’ he said.‘‘Similarly, there should be complete transparency in maintenance of muster rolls and payment of wages. There should be fairness all around. That is the intention and purpose of this Act,’’ the PM added.He pointed out that that a guarantee imposed a legal obligation on the state, unlike a scheme that is supply-driven. The task would require a lot of work by states to create perspective plans, set up monitoring institutions, provide technical support, design smooth financial flows and ensure accountability, he added.‘‘A task of this nature has never been attempted before and hence, the importance of a serious effort in this regard,’’ he said. The PM urged every state government to pay attention to three ‘‘watchwords’’: outlays are matched by outcomes; productive assets are created to pay for money spent; and guarantee is implemented in its true spirit. ‘‘As long as we are mindful of these watchwords, we will be able to implement this historic commitment in right earnest,’’ he said.Singh said that the Act was a unique social safety net because its beneficiaries were not passive recipients of doles, but will become active participants in the creation of rural assets.‘‘While we are committed to extend the NREG Act to the entire country, our focus is presently on the 200 most backward districts. Our government will ensure a complete non-partisan choice of districts,’’ he said, adding that the performance in these 200 districts would yield useful insights and lessons while extending it across the country.Therefore, he said, the quality of implementation of the Act in its initial phase is of critical importance.According to him, the foremost requirement is establishing an institutional mechanism for implementing the guarantee—Panchayati Raj institutions and government agencies were central to it. ‘‘Panchayati Raj institutions will have to be geared up. This is also an opportunity for strengthening grassroot democracy,’’ he said.
