Far from failure
February 2-15, 2008, Jayati Ghosh, Frontline
This essay accuses the 'corporate-controlled media' in India of attempting to trash the National Rural Employment Guarantee Programme (NREGP) that has worked in favour of the rural poor. Instead of focusing on the lack of administrative capability in implementing the NREGP at the local level, which was the major concern of a recent report of the Comptroller and Auditor General, the author says that the media tried to over low the issue of mis-utilisation of funds, of which the report mentions only tangentially. While one might disagree with the strong sentiments expressed by the author, it is indeed true that it is premature to pass judgement over NREGP which marks a radical departure from previous public rural development programmes.