‘No spike in toilet construction’

New Delhi: A Niti Aayog-led evaluation of the Centre’s rural housing programme (Pradhan Mantri Aawas Yojana-Gramin, which was earlier known as Indira Aawas Yojana during the UPA regime), in 60 districts affected by Left-wing extremism in Bihar, Odisha and Jharkhand, has noted that none of the states witnessed any spike in demand for construction of toilets despite the fact that the scheme is all about construction of household units for rural poor.

At the same time though the survey has revealed that the scheme ensured increased scope for work opportunities under MGNREGA, as around 64 per cent respondents (from the LWE districts) were engaged in construction activities of other fellow beneficiaries of the rural housing scheme.

Interestingly, the Niti Aayog-initiated study has taken into consideration the three-year period between 2009-10 and 2011-12 for evaluation of the rural housing scheme during which the erstwhile UPA regime was in power at the Centre. During this period the rural housing scheme was known as Indira Aawas Yojana (IAY).

The study noted that among the three respondent states considered for the survey, the Bihar government’s delayed release of the state’s share of funds to the zilla panchayats had resulted in its poor utilisation by the studied LWE districts of the state.

Niti Aayog sponsored survey says no spurt in demand for toilet construction under rural housing scheme between 2009-10 and 2011-12.

Work opportunities increased in construction activities due to the scheme as it complimented MGNREGA.

Bihar lagged behind in meeting financial and physical targets of the rural housing scheme.

The Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) in all the three states had not been able to generate demand for construction toilets at household level among IAY beneficiaries, therefore non-prioritisation of convergence noted with on-going sanitation programmes of the Centre,” the survey has noted in its findings.

However there was increased scope for work opportunities as 64 per cent respondents as beneficiaries were engaged in construction activities of other fellow IAY beneficiaries, which boosted demand for work under MGNREGA, the survey further noted.

Around 44 per cent respondents reported scope for exposure to other avenues of employment also, as women IAY beneficiaries were engaged in small business activities by becoming members in Self Help Groups (SHGs) under Swarnajayanti Gram Swarozgar Yojana (SGSY) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM). Both these now have been subsumed under NDA Government’s schemes.

The survey also observed that till July 2011, the states of Odisha and Jharkhand had attained almost full utilisation of funds (97 per cent) whereas Bihar had utilised only 10 per cent of its funds.

In terms of physical targets, Jharkhand had achieved full target by 2011-12, Odisha could achieve 97 per cent of the target under the same time, whereas Bihar had achieved a meagre 48 per cent of its total target during the same period.