Geospatial-Based Mahatma Gandhi NREGA Governance in India

Abstract

The Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is helping rural people below the poverty line to create wage employment and productive assets. As per the information available with NREGASoft, around 30 lakh assets are created annually under Mahatma Gandhi NREGA. The main issues are lack of proper planning, transparency, and accountability while creating assets, which leads to duplicate assets, non-existent assets on the ground, and the creation of non-quality assets. This paper aims to analyse the various available GIS-based tools that can improve planning and governance in implementing Mahatma Gandhi NREGS. Secondary data from multiple web portals pertaining to GIS-based planning and monitoring Mahatma Gandhi NREGS have been used. The right-based approach in development, empowerment of citizens, inclusiveness, and digital and geospatial technology applications have necessitated good governance in each and every programme in the country, more so which are directly linked to the livelihoods and socio-economic conditions of the rural masses. India has been pioneering applications of geospatial technology for development, natural resource management (NRM), connectivity, agriculture and water resources development, and Mahatma Gandhi NREGA is a harbinger in this domain, which has brought in a sea change in the participation, asset development, social security, and optimum use of resources. Geospatial governance tools such as Bhuvan Geo-Portal GeoMGNREGA, Yuktdhara, Janmanrega, and Mobile GIS-based CLART tool are bringing unprecedented transparent and effective governance system in the planning, monitoring and implementation of the programmes.