DIMOND FROM RAJASTHAN

Name - MANJU RAJPAL

Occupation- District Collector

For most Indians, the name Dungarpur immediately evokes the image of an aging cricket administrator with a clipped convent accent and a footin-mouth disease. Over the decades that has been its signature. Of late, though, this rugged tribal district in southern Rajasthan has become the nerve centre of a silent revolution. And it is spurred by two magical words: Rozgar (employment) and Guarantee. For thousands in this impoverished district, those words are the difference between partial starvation and two proper meals, a life of relative dignity at home or a humiliating existence as migrant labour in nearby Gujarat. Dungarpur owes its new identity to Manju Rajpal, a young and articulate district collector who has turned the National Rural Employment Guarantee (NREG) scheme into a mission of faith. From motivating tribals to register for the scheme to publicising it through public meetings and promotional cassettes, from ensuring that every member of the government machinery is committed to NREG to camping personally in 60 gram panchayats — Rajpal planned for the project in staggering detail, much like an eager father prepares for his daughter’s wedding. And by all accounts, the effort has been worth it. Statistics reinforce the point. Each of the 2.46 lakh workers registered under the project in Dungarpur holds a job card. Each of the 2.19 lakhs who turned up for work received employment. In all, the district administration has spent Rs 96 crore on the 11-month-old project grandly kickstarted by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on February 2 with a national budget of over Rs 10,000 crore. ‘‘She has kept the administrative staff on its feet. Compared to other districts in Rajasthan, the quality of work is much better here,” says activist Man Singh of Mazdoor Kisan Shakti Sangathan. Congress leader and former Banswara MP Tarachand Bhagora agrees: “IAS officers usually throw their weight around in air-conditioned offices. Few travel to the interiors as much as she does.” But Rajpal’s real endorsement comes from people. Outside Lodwada, a village located 16 km from Dungarpur, a group of villagers is busy building a check dam. They say that seasonal migration has gone down due to proper implementation of the scheme and they are able to eat two decent meals every day. And Rajpal gets the credit for this. “She has come to the village more than any collector before. She seems to understand our problems,” says villager Kauwa Kharadi. Rajpal grew up in Churu, a small town in north-eastern Rajasthan where her father runs a general store. “I come from the desert where you have struggle in every walk of life,” she says. The topper among women in the 2000 IAS batch is a post-graduate in economics. Which partly explains her penchant for planning that has contributed enormously to making NREG a success in Dungarpur. The district collector says she started work on the project in October 2005 — a good four months before the PM launched NREG — as soon as the Act was available online. Ongoing government projects were used to generate awareness. “The BPL survey was utilised to identify interested households and helped us get an idea of the quantum of work before us,” says Rajpal. A team of over 350 functionaries was entrusted with spreading NREG awareness. Result: A social audit by NGOs, MKSS and Astha, in April showed that the message had got across to nearly every Dungarpur villager. Senior district official Mohanlal Sharma says that on the eve of the first day of registration, those displaying a lack of interest were sent yellow rice, a traditional form of invitation that makes attendance mandatory. A whopping 1.82 lakh registered on the first day. “The enthusiasm was reminiscent of what we witness on election days,” says the collector. Rajpal — who is single and has adopted three girls — was also clear about the kind of projects she wanted under the scheme. It doesn’t rain much in these parts. So Dungarpur NREG projects revolve around water harvesting, conservation, afforestation, flood control and drought proofing. Around 11,000 water conservation- related structures have been built in the past 11 months. “Usually the percentage of defective structures is high in government schemes. But this time only 782—a mere 7%—were below acceptable levels,” says Sharma. But some shortcomings remain. The minimum daily wage is Rs 73 in Rajasthan but Lodwada villagers say daily earnings average around Rs 55-65. “The task is too tough. We just can’t complete it,” complains a woman worker. NREG is far from perfect in Dungarpur. But as Rajpal shows, a committed bureaucrat can make a big difference.