The advent of ‘app-solute’ chaos in NREGA

In May 2021, Ministry of Rural Development (MoRD) National Mobile Monitoring Software (NMMS) App launchedA new application to “improve citizen oversight and increase transparency” National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA) Works. it is to be deployed by NREGA Sathi, Local women at Panchayat level who are selected and trained to supervise NREGA work sites. The salient feature of the app is the real-time, photograph, geo-tagged attendance of each worker to be taken once in every half of the day. We spoke to Mets, NREGA workers and activists from several states to understand their experience with the app.

conditions affecting workers

While such an app can be useful in monitoring the attendance of workers who have scheduled work hours, in most states, NREGA wages are calculated based on the amount of work done each day, and the workers There is no need to commit to fixed hours. This flexibility has been the key to the massive demand for NREGA. However, registering attendance on the app is mandatory given that the employees are at the workplace throughout the day. This causes a lot of trouble to the NREGA workers.

Rajasthan’s Priya Devi finishes her NREGA work by 9 a.m., and then sets up a stall at a local haat to sell the produce grown in her kitchen garden. Since the introduction of the NMMS app, he will either have to be present at the workplace for the whole day or travel twice to register his attendance. Ms. Devi expressed concern about losing customers at her stall in her absence. Another activist from Andhra Pradesh said that her daughter was no longer going to school as often as she had to handle some of her mother’s duties.

NREGA has historically had a high proportion of female workers (54.7% in FY 2021-22) and has been instrumental in changing the working conditions for women in rural areas. Due to the traditional burden of household chores and care work on women, the app is likely to adversely affect women workers. The conditions for registering NREGA attendance on the app put them in a dilemma as to where they can leave NREGA work. Such sentiment was echoed (for us) by several women activists across the country. For example, Priya Devi fears that she will have to choose between the two – committing to the NREGA work in which she spends her entire day, or being in the market.

Other Challenges

There are implementation challenges with NMMS as well. A stable network is a must for real-time monitoring; Unfortunately, it is in shambles in most parts of rural India. Due to this the workers are not able to register their attendance and as a result may have to lose even a day’s wages. Workers in Kerala and Jharkhand are already facing problems in uploading their attendance to the app due to network issues. Apart from this, a recent Newsclick report also highlighted the problems faced by differently abled NREGA workers of Tamil Nadu in registering their presence on the app.

The app has also adversely affected the NREGA Mets. The role of a Saathi was seen as an opportunity to empower local women to manage their Panchayat attendance and work measurement. But now to become a mate, it is necessary to have a smartphone. This new condition disqualifies thousands of women who do not have a smartphone. Already women from Jharkhand and Andhra Pradesh have reported passed for selection as mate for the same reason. Now, men who own the smartphone are likely to be given preference as the Mate. Alternatively, women can become proxy mates – officially registered, but working and paid men. Several selected peers also reported that they were not given proper training to use the app. This can lead to errors in recording the attendance of workers, which ultimately results in delayed or non-payment.

Errors in the pilot process

The app was launched last year on a pilot basis, with states voluntarily using it. Officials and activists confirmed that these implementation errors were clarified throughout the pilot process. However, there is no publicly available information regarding the errors detected and the measures taken to correct them. There has also been no satisfactory response to our RTI applications. Despite persistent errors, on May 13, 2022, the MoRD issued a circular declaring that NMMS would now be mandatory for all NREGA works employing more than 20 workers, except in exceptional circumstances with no requirement for manual attendance. will not be an option. Within a week of the mandate, several states submitted complaints and reports of the same errors that were observed during the pilot phase. MoRD has not yet given any solution, assurance or even feedback.

no physical records

Apart from the problems encountered in implementation, the intended purpose of such an application and its effectiveness are unclear. The app claims to “enhance citizen oversight” by “bringing more transparency and ensuring proper monitoring of schemes, potentially enabling faster processing payments”. However, it seems to be doing the exact opposite. With workers no longer signing physical attendance records, workers have no proof of their attendance and work done. In Jharkhand’s West Singhbhum district, workers reported working on a NREGA project, attendance records of which are not present on the NREGA website. Since there are no physical records that workers can use as evidence, they have no way of proving their presence, and will consequently be denied pay for the full two weeks of work. This is a clear erosion of transparency and citizen oversight claiming improvements to the app.

Corruption is a growing problem in NREGA, with funds being diverted from fake attendance records. While the focus of the NMMS on a direct real-time, geo-tagged presence may be one way to address this corruption, the MoRD has not provided much clarity on the magnitude of this corruption or how NMMS addresses it. No parameter has been established to assess the performance of the app, either on transparency, or on quick processed payments.

strengthen social audit

Instead of focusing on this app or introducing other complex technical improvements, we strongly believe that social audit should be strengthened. Social audits are citizen centric institutions, where the citizens of the panchayat have a direct role and say how NREGA works in their panchayat. Audits have worked well in the past, allowing local rights holders to invest in decisions, and holding the administration itself accountable. But instead of strengthening citizen-centric institutions such as social audit units and gram sabhas, the rural development ministry is keen to introduce technological reforms that may be complex to understand and fundamentally inaccessible to workers.

It is ironic that an application to improve surveillance and transparency of citizens was implemented without consultation and discussion with NREGA workers, functionaries or public sector officials. As a result, NMMS is blind to the actual functioning of NREGA at the grassroots level. MoRD’s habit of passing reforms without stakeholder consultation is not in line with the principles of transparency and citizen-participation enshrined in NREGA. NMMS has very obvious problems that will make it difficult for workers to continue working under NREGA, thereby eliminating the right to work under the NREGA Act.

Chakradhar Buddha and Lavanya Tamang are affiliated with Libtech India