1. NREGASoft NREGASoft The ICT Solution A Ministry Of Rural Development and National Informatics Center Initiative.

2. Genesis of NREGA The Government of India passed the National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005 on September 2005. The act was applicable to 200 Districts in 2006-07, another 130 are added in 2007-08 and extended to whole country from April,2008. The Act provides legal guarantee of hundred days of wage employment in a financial year to a family.. The choice of works suggested addresses causes of chronic poverty like drought, deforestation, soil erosion National Rural Employment Guarantee Act 2005

3. Glimpse of Arduous Operating Terrain Poor or no ICT infrastructure Very low literacy Lack of industrial participation Multiple local languages Massive breadth coverage more than 2.5 Lakh Panchayats Voluminous Information

4. Problems of Wage Employment Programs Lack of transparency Fudging of Muster rolls Duplication of works Spurious Transactions Parking of funds Improper record keeping Partial Wage Payments Delay in Funds Disburse- ment Non- Standard Processes

5. NREGASoft - lifeline of NREGS Operations NREGASoft systematizes vast swathe of field functionaries, officials and beneficiaries via coherent centralized workflow engine spanning the length and breadth of our country. Operational feasibility has been made possible by the following features: Intuitive user interface in localized Indian languagesThe Data Entry is being done at Block, Gram Panchayat; totaling 25,000 locations. The software solution is designed to overcome arduous challenges posed by insufficient infrastructure, poor connectivity and low computer literacy in remote areas The system captures data at process initiation points: “Registration of Beneficiary” and “Demand Generation” - data once entered at these points is used in all subsequent operations – elimination data duplication and re-entry The system designed as compartmentalized and self contained modules enabling easy maintenance, better security and cleaner integration across process boundaries All stake holders has been provided space for their share of Work through role based access System supports 500,000 record addition per day

6. NREGASoft Scope & Coverage Coverage NREGASoft spans across 31 states (89% coverage), 599 Districts (95.5% coverage), 241,000 GPs and 640,302 villages(92.5% coverage) Key statistics Functional Scope NREGAsoft is the comprehensive solution to monitor, manage and run NREGS, it consists of the following functional modules: Administrative Module Worker Management Module Finance Module Works Management Module Stores and Inventory Management Module Grievance Reddressal Module Cost Estimation Module 116,683,409 Job Cards 68,000,000+ Muster Rolls 258,020,50 7 Registered Persons

7. NREGASoft Flow

8. Citizen NGOs, Civil Society Org. NICMinistry of Rural Development Financial Institutions State Line Dept. State Rural Development Dept. District Program coordinator Gram Panchayat Block Program Officer Worker NREGASoft – Stakeholders

9. Integration: Systems & Economy Local Industry Several data entry companies are engaged to provide services required for NREGS. Web services has been provides to share data in NREGASoft with all the vendor engaged in payment (through Bank/ post office) to NREGA workers at their door step by using hand held devices Essential Systems Integration NREGS GRS & e-Lekha Banks BPL Census UIDA RSBY Common beneficiary identifier across two system Data sharing with UIDA Wage Payout Financial Tracking Health Insurance

10. NREGASoft Acceptance & Popularity Recognized as epitome of ICT’s impact at grass-root level Popular amongst users, latest improvements have been contributed by users themselves Popular platform for exchange of ideas and best practises leading to adoption of proven practises across regions Established as credible, reliable and correct source of information100,000 hits per day, popular amongst NGOs and Social ResearchersTotal visitor hit count at 35,158,562 hits

11. NREGASoft Saving Gov. Money Saving on hidden cost: Eliminating Fudging of Muster rolls: More than 116 million job cards and 68 million muster rolls are available in public domain; There is a tight coupling between job card and muster roll. Timely funds remittance to implementing agencies: Fund transfer system tracks the transfer of fund from MoRD/States to the pocket of the person; Partial payment of wages: No concept of Kaccha Muster roll. Muster roll has to get closed before payment and the payment is through bank/post office. So no partial payment and the money reaches in right hands Parking of funds at District level: Accounts are maintained at all points where fund is getting transferred and is available in public domain Duplication of works : Each work has been assigned unique no. comprising of location, type of work and the serial number; A inventory of assets created under NREGA has been created and available in public domain. Right to demand of work was not being executed :local language, Sound and Icon based touch screen module has been developed for illiterate workers, so that he himself can exercise his rights Improper Accounting/record keeping: Software prepares all the records/registers as per guidelines of NREGA. Attendance at worksite being captured by hand held machines having biometric authentication and GPS system to eliminate fudging of data and automating data collection. Direct cost savings through following initiatives: ICT pilots to automate capturing of data to reduce manual inputs and overheads of the same Workers can demand work directly using the touch screen kiosk in the Panchayats Grievance can be lodged and action can be traced by worker through the touch screen kiosk in the Panchayats Payment to the worker can be done at door step by using hand held device in Business correspondence model

12. NREGASoft: Impact Of Content Digitization Muster rolls which were not even known to the worker who is working on it is now in public domain The system facilitates social audit Facilitates and expedites adoption of best practices via information exchange platform Prevention of fudged and spurious data Record keeping has improved Streamlined funds reconciliation Empowering illiterate worker to easily access and verify accounts Awareness generation using omnipresent cyber space

13. NREGASoft Embracing Global Trends NREGASoft is a confluence of social networking with workflow to bridge C2G/G2C divide Hybrid design between centralized and distributed to keep overheads low for software management, data security, data availability with agility of centralized reporting Design enables over coming challenges of insufficient connectivity Advance biometric technologies and GPS is being used to identify and track beneficiaries. System orchestrates transactions with vital external systems (internal fund management automation of the ministry, e-Lekha) to achieve streamlined operations

14. Single window interface for all stake holders Citizen can access the site and see all the documents kept at Gram Panchayats i.e. Muster Rolls,employment provided/ wage paid to workers A citizen can lodge complaint and can keep track the response A worker can check his details on job card,complaint status, work demand, work allocated,work provided and wage paid in his local language. Gram Panchayat’s can generate their records through NREGASoft including accounting of 100 days employment to a family Better financial Accounting for all stakeholders Program officers/District Program Coordinators can manage the implementation of NREGA in a better way Staffing position module of the software enhances the coordination and communication among various stake holders. Benefits for Stakeholders

15. Benefits to Society Promoted ICT adoption in 6,000 blocks and 250,000 Gram Panchayats hence creating the need for hardware / software / network connectivity and services The system employs many small scale companies benefiting the local regional economy NREGA uses latest technologies like Handheld device, Touch screen kiosks, Mobile hand held technologies NREGA’s unique payment system has broaden the fabric of Financial inclusion to the grass root level NREGA has popularized ICT as a tool for empowerment amongst the rural masses - grievances recording and accountability has eliminated the middle-man enabling true G2C interaction NREGA is a reliable channel to deliver economic stimulus directly at the grass roots benefiting the poor

16. Benefits - Strengthening ICT in INDIA ICT penetration which was only up to district level for so many years has reached Block/Panchayat level. Kerala, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh, Gujarat are using NREGASoft at Gram Panchayat level Provide employment by outsourcing tasks like capturing of data and data entry Gov. of India has mandated computerization and providing connectivity all blocks – over 6000 in total-enabling ICT infrastrcture Created a backbone for the service delivery - payment of wages through post office, using Hand held devices integrated with NREGASoft for details of payment through muster rolls maintained by NREGASoft

17. Q&A NREGASoft