One defect in the draft CAG report (hopefully will be corrected in subsequent reports) is the failure to look at outcomes. It is not enough to have good muster rolls and signatures. We need to check if assets are being created. I derive a tiny bit of satisfaction from the report of Sudha Narayanan of Stella Maris College, Chennai. At least in one village (Vengur) in Villupuram district, the NREGS has resulted in the creation of a pond which has eliminated water shortage for the inhabitants. As a country, we should have more Vengurs, more ponds and fewer thirsty people.

Walking away from an imaginative attempt to deal with poverty alleviation is easy; we may have to do so if with the passage of time the NREGS proves incapable of improved efficiency. To walk away now would be a mistake.

The writer is a student and observer of contemporary India

jerry.rao@expressindia.com