Is the the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGs)all about just digging up the earth to provide some work to villagers or do they create any assets like roads or ponds? The answer, going by the the rural development ministry's own admission, is worrying.

When this unprecedented poverty alleviation scheme was launched four years back, its objective was to provide employment to millions of  unskilled workforce in rural India that were unemployed for six months of non-farming seasons. Another equally important goal was asset creation in the form of rural connectivity, flood control and protection, minor irrigation work, drought proofing, renovation of traditional water sources, water conservation and water harvesting.

However, four years down the line, while the objective of employment guarantee has been achieved to some extent, the asset creation has lagged behind.

In the latest performance review meeting held by the rural development ministry in March this year, one of the concerns expressed by the ministry was the disappointing rate of work completion, which it said, was a dismal 39 percent. The percentage of work completed for 2009-10 was 45 percent and for 2008-09 was 43 percent.

What it means is, the works taken up for the objective of asset creation every year are left incomplete. The ministry has noted that "the work completion rate is of great concern and completion certificate should be provided by the PRIs (panchayati raj institutions)." However, the trend is a pointer to the ministry's inadequate attention to the end result of the scheme that some say was largely responsible for giving UPA a second term.

The critics though allege more than just an ‘inadequate attention’ on part of the centre, accusing it of culpability in the willful neglect of the asset creation objective of NREGS.

“Leaving works taken up under NREGA incomplete pays rich dividends to state officials,” said Parshuram Rai, whose Centre for Environment and Food Security through a PIL filed in the Supreme Court in 2007 brought out large-scale irregularities and corruption in the implementation of the scheme.

“The state officials demand money from the centre for the same incomplete work again and again, thus pocketing large amounts that should have gone to the workers,” he said.

And though the centre is aware of the amount of incomplete work left year after year it does nothing more than making a inconsequential remark, like "it’s a matter of concern", in its performance review meetings time and again.

According to Rai, the centre needs to link the release of funds to the completion of works taken up by the states. Until and unless that is done, more and more of money allocated for the scheme will end with the corrupt government officials.