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

3) Integrated child development scheme

One of the worlds largest and most unique programmes for early childhood development ,
launched on 2nd October 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
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http://www.eximguru.com/exim/special_economic_zone_sez/ch_7_sez_act_2005.aspx
http://wcd.nic.in/icds.htm
http://www.childlineindia.org.in/Integrated-Child-Development-Scheme-ICDS.htm
http://planningcommission.nic.in/reports/peoreport/peo/peo_icds.pdf
http://www.hindustantimes.com/News-Feed/India/Every-third-child-in-Gujarat-isunderweight-CAG/Article1-1131138.aspx