Using digital to leverage MGNREGA at scale across Karnataka

The Government of Karnataka has been implementing the ambitious Antarajala Chetana program across the state to improve groundwater levels in rural areas by leveraging Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (MGNREGS). During the last year, the Rural Development and Panchayati Raj (RDPR) department, Government of Karnataka has started to engage a cadre of women as Grama Kayaka Mitras (GKM) with a monthly remuneration.The state is looking to mobilize and engage with the communities through these GKMs to generate more demand for work under MGNREGS and improve the people’s confidence in the system. 

Our partner in Karnataka, Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) has been working with the MGNREGS functionaries for over a year to help build the technical capabilities of NREGA functionaries and demonstrate a process for scientific planning through active community participation to improve the quality and durability of the assets to be created. Arghyam has been supporting FES to engage with the State Government, to design and adopt a model for NRM planning at scale.  

Overall, FES has enabled the formation of 2100+ village institutions dedicated to managing the ecology and commons in their village, training 2620+ MGNREGS staff including Panchayat Development Officers, Technical Coordinators, Technical Assistants (Civil/ Agriculture/ Horticulture/ Forestry), Barefoot Technicians, Grama Kayaka Mitras and Data Entry Operators. FES has also demonstrated the scientific planning process across 53 taluks in the 8 districts of the state. 

The Rural Development and Panchayati Raj Department has shown interest in adopting learnings from FES and saturating GIS-based planning across all GPs in Karnataka. To carry this forward, the Department has now renamed Antarajala Chetana as Jala Sanjeevini to converge all existing efforts in the state to prepare GIS-based NRM plans. The next year will focus on providing support to the state in designing the program for scale implementation in all the 1600 GPs across 8 districts in the state . Arghyam, FES and Socion will work together with MGNREGS of the rural development department to develop the design, theory of change and data systems necessary to create community led NRM plans and govern the program at scale.