It is learning time for rural development (RD) ministry officials. The ministry has devised short-term courses for making the officials proficient in the various details of its flagship programmes.

The training will start from next  month and will be conducted for batches till the end of the year. Enrolling officials will be instructed on the clause and sub-clauses of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (NREGA), Indira Aawas Yojana, Swarnajayanti Gram Swaraj Yojana (SGSY).

The courses will open to all officials from the gram panchayat level to RD ministries of the states.

“Though these schemes have been running for a number of years, many officials are unaware of the finer details, and therefore the need to devise these training modules for them,” said a rural development ministry official.

The official cited a number of examples wherein the ministry found the lower-rung officials, especially those directly involved in the implementation of the schemes ignorant of a number of important provisions and clauses.

“A number of district officials are not aware of convergence of different ministries with NREGA or the payment cycle of NREGA wages,” he said. 

Some of the courses for NREGA include application of information communication tehnologies in MGNREGS, building gender sensitivity on MGNREGA, convergence possibilities, gender issues in rural development, GIS app for planning, implementation, monitoring of NREGA, implementation of NREGA by line department, MGNREGA and participatory rural development planning, scope and potential of NREGS in tribal sector, social sudit and accountability in panchayats

Courses for IAY include management of IAY for DRDA and block staff, planning and implementation for IAY district officials.

Courses devised for SGSY are organisation and management of self help groups (SHG), administrative procedure for panchayat, agricultural nursery management, basic computer skill, internet for panchayat functionaries.